


Sneaking can be fun, but lord it's exhausting!

by G8rguy



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Baking, Hockey, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-06 04:31:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6738316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G8rguy/pseuds/G8rguy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Five times +1 format.  Bitty and Jack are now in a relationship but no one knows so they have to be careful.  Unfortunately, both of them are horrible at keeping their feelings hidden.  Luckily their friends are oblivious, I mean seriously, how are you not picking up on this?  Five times that Jack and Bitty try to sneak some togetherness around their friends without getting caught and almost do and the one time that they don't manage to get away with it!</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Labor Day Weekend

Eric is in the kitchen baking up a storm. Tomorrow is Friday and the start of the Labor Day weekend at Samwell and he is excited. Shitty and Jack are both coming back for the weekend to celebrate and it will be the first time Jack is here since they started dating, the first time he has seen Shitty since Graduation, and nearly a month since Bitty stayed with Jack in Providence before pre-season training started. The Haus is hosting a weekend of fun including a trip to the beach, the obligatory BBQ, and “copious amounts of alcohol” per Ransom and Holster. Bitty had been planning for a fairly extensive weekend of cooking for everyone but since Jack had made him promise to wait to go grocery shopping when he was there, so he could help out with the costs, Bitty was limited to baking treats from his existing supplies.

Shitty had promised to bring a surplus of drinks for the gang and though a majority of the students and their teammates were taking advantage of the weekend to road trip away from Samwell, there would still be a nice crowd at the Haus. Dex and Nursey were both staying even though they were still living in the dorms, though now they were roommates to everyone’s surprise. Chowder had invited Farmer to spend the weekend with them since the volleyball team wasn’t really doing anything. Then Bitty, Lardo, Ransom, and Holster were all staying as Haus residents along with Shitty and Jack. Whiskey, Tango, and Bullet of the tadpoles were also staying for the weekend so they were going to be joining in on all the fun. 

Ransom had called to invite Johnson but after talking with the former goalie, he looked more confused than ever when he got off the phone muttering something about Johnson telling him that it wasn’t necessary to the narrative especially with the tangled plotlines” which led to him and Holster drinking rather excessively for the rest of the evening.

Bitty was also excited to see the reaction of the tadpoles when Jack arrived considering that they all asked for stories about him, not just Tango. The upperclassmen had decided not to warn the tadpoles about Jack and Shitty coming so that they would be surprised and they could all watch them react. Lardo seemed to especially be enjoying the prospect of seeing them freak out.

“Bits have you seen the weather forecast?” Lardo asked without preamble as she walked into the kitchen glaring.

“No” Eric said absently as he finished up the seven layer bars he was making for Shitty. The combination of chocolate, toasted coconut, butterscotch, condensed milk, graham crackers, pecans, and butter that Bitty made and had sent him over the summer caused him to bombard Bitty with pleas for another batch for quite some time now.

“It’s supposed to rain all weekend” Lardo said sadly.

Bitty looked over at her and frowned. “That’s gonna mess up the plan” he declared.

“Shitty already called and said something about ‘Plan B’ and that we needed to make space in the living room” she said sounding like she knew a whole lot more than she was sharing.

“Space for what?” Eric asked nervously. Lardo just smirked, grabbed a cookie from one of the cooling trays, and walked out.

* * *

Eric just shook his head at the sight. Shitty had brought three kiddie pools and filled them up and put them in the living room surrounded by beach chairs so they could rest their feet in the water. The keg, bottles, and other drinks were stashed wherever they could and Holster, Ransom, and Shitty were taking turns manning the grill outside in the rain while Eric cooked everything else in the kitchen. The only good thing was that they had to move the green couch to the basement. Bitty had gently suggested putting it outside in the vain hope for a lightning strike but he was overruled by the others.

Jack had yet to arrive, but was due any moment now so Bitty was getting excited. It would be the first time he was in the Haus or around the team since they had started dating though no one had even picked up on the fact that Eric was dating anyone, let alone Jack. He bounced around the kitchen checking his various items and decided to make another icebox pie while he waited. Pulling out the ingredients he decided to make a butter pecan icebox pie since his mama had sent him a large bag of fresh pecans from Georgia.

“Bits!” Ransom hollered from the other room. “Where’s the mustard?” 

“Next to the Xbox” he called back shaking his head. He had no idea why it was there but all of the condiments had ended up by the game system despite Bitty’s best efforts.

He jumped as he felt arms grab his sides. He looked back into a pair of ice blue eyes twinkling with happiness and he melted. “Jack!” he sighed happily. Jack gave a quick nuzzle right behind his ear before pulling back and Bitty turned to give his big Canadian boyfriend a hug.

“Jack!” Holster roared from the door that just opened. Bitty stepped back as the blonde D-man nearly tackled Jack quickly followed by Chowder and Shitty. Lardo sauntered in behind the mob smirking at their former captain as Bitty heard Ransom, Dex, and Nursey yelling from the patio. 

It turned into a giant dog pile as everyone jumped on Jack. The former frogs were more restrained, but they were glad to see him. Chowder was babbling and demanded that Jack come see his old room and how he decorated it. He even offered to give up his room again to Jack but Nursey teased him asking wasn’t Farmer staying for the weekend?

Chowder blushed furiously and started stammering. Jack just smiled “Don’t worry Chowder, Bitty offered to share his room. I brought a sleeping bag and an air mattress if necessary” he smiled as they walked out to go upstairs.

The horde exited the kitchen and headed after Jack to drag him back to the “beach” to talk hockey once he had seen his old room. Jack ended up spending most of the night talking about life in the NHL, Providence, and his new team. Tango, along with Whiskey and Bullet, were overwhelmed and mostly just stared in surprise at the former captain and NHL player, but Tango only lasted thirty minutes before he started asking questions, a personal record of control from talking as far as the rest of the team could tell.

“I’ve got to say that I am feeling betrayed bro” Shitty told him after a few too many beers. “You visit Bitty in Georgia but you never visited me!” he wails throwing himself into Jack’s arms.

“Shits, I visited you twice in Boston and you came to my apartment as well this summer” he laughed and looked at Bitty for help.

“But you didn’t travel to see me!” Shitty complained. “You didn’t fly over the country!”

Jack looked thoroughly confused as Lardo snickered at them. “Guess you’ve been replaced Shits, Jack’s got a new best bro” she teased him causing Shitty to glare at Jack before tackling him in a hug. 

“I will only forgive you if you snuggle!” he demands.

Jack laughs and shoves Shitty who ends up crashing into one of the pools causing him to yell and reach for Jack who was already moving. This lead to a melee to throw people in the pools. Lardo and Bitty realizing that they were (1) the most sober and (2) the smallest and at the most risk of being tossed in, so they slipped out and locked themselves in their rooms.

About twenty minutes later Bitty heard a gentle knock on his door and Jack whispering to let him in. Opening the door he saw Jack dripping wet and smiling as he slipped inside as Eric locked the door. “My Mr. Zimmerman, you are quite a sight” Bitty smirked with a dark look in his eyes. Jack was dripping. His hair plastered to his face, his white t-shirt now nearly see through was hugging every muscle of his rather defined chest causing Bitty to unconsciously lick his lips. His shorts were dripping and heavy and were sliding down his hips showing the elastic band of Jack’s boxer briefs. Bitty sucked in a breath.

Jack’s smile fell off as he watched Bitty stare at him and his laughter at playing with the guys downstairs was replaced by a totally different feeling. He had started feeling a chill from the water and AC but that had fled before the warmth that was spreading through him.

“I think you might catch your death of a cold” Bitty’s whisper was deeper and his accent was much more pronounced. 

“That’s true…what should I do” Jack’s voice was deep and lusty.

“Well” Eric looked up through his eyelashes at Jack who had stepped closer “we should probably get you out of those wet clothes” he smiled seductively.

Jack reached down and grabbing the hem of his shirt he slowly peeled it up, taking his time as Bitty bit his lip watching the beads of water slide down Jack’s torso as he slid the t-shirt off. Bitty reached up and ghosted his fingers across the muscles on Jack’s chest, barely touching but drawing out a thrilling shiver from the Canadian. 

Bitty’s hands slid down Jack’s sides to the waistband of his shorts, slipping the tips of his fingers between the fabric and his skin. Sliding them forward till they meet at that tantalizing trail of dark hair that started just below his bellybutton and led to....Eric blushes furiously as he looks up to see Jack watching him intently, breathing heavily, but not moving or saying anything.

Bitty moves his hands back toward Jack’s hips while sliding both of his hands inside the briefs, the waistband of the shorts rubbing along Eric’s wrists as his hands moved fully inside the fabric of both shorts and briefs, his hands delighting in the feeling of Jack's skin. Smiling wickedly, Eric slowly lowers himself towards the floor, slowly dragging his hands down Jack’s thighs pulling all of the wet fabric along with them.

By the time that his hands reach Jack’s bare feet, his socks and shoes must have been left downstairs, he stops and waits without looking up. Jack carefully rests his hands on Bitty’s shoulders and lifts first his right leg out of the pile of fabric and then the left leg and Eric moves the wad of clothes to the side. Eric, from his place kneeling down on the floor, finally, tortuously slowly, raises his eyes and looks up to see Jack, his beautiful Jack, standing there fully revealed. His skin is wet, drops of water are running across his muscles, and his skin covered with goosebumps which all cause Eric’s heart to race with excitement knowing that it was him who was having this effect on the boy he had been dreaming of for so long. 

Jack was looking at him with absolute trust and faith in him, no fear at all, the desire in his eyes however was clear for Eric to see. He slowly stood up, dragging his hands back up Jack’s legs before they reached his waist and abs as Eric finally stood up. Jack was trembling but it wasn’t from the cold, no. His skin was hot and Bitty moved closer till his face was as close as he could get without actually touching him. He could feel the heat pouring off of Jack’s skin, the scent of his boyfriend was overwhelming his brain and he brushed his lips, barely touching, across the tight skin and Jack reacted like he was electrified.

Looking up at his boyfriend’s face, Eric was overwhelmed by the urgency in Jack’s eyes. He gripped the back of Jack’s neck, pulling him down as their lips crashed together fiercely. Jack pushed forward, his tongue pushing into Eric’s willing mouth as they finally were together after so long apart.

Eric slipped his hands down Jack’s back and had just slid them along his amazing backside, getting a grip on that glorious ass when a sound like an explosion goes off startling them. Eric’s door rattles in the frame with a deafening boom as something slams into it with the force of a battering ram and they hear Shitty screaming from the other side “JACK!! MY BEAUTIFUL BRO!!! WHERE ARE YOU!” he wails.

Eric isn’t sure exactly why they reacted the way they did, especially since the door was shut and locked, but they did react like they had just been caught. Eric flung himself backwards away from Jack, and tripped over his school bag on the floor and ended up falling into his bed. Jack had also jumped but was not as lucky. Apparently he had simultaneously tried to grab something to cover up with and move away but he tripped over his overnight bag and fell to the floor. 

Eric was caught between worry for his boyfriend and trying desperately not to laugh hysterically at the sight of a naked Jack, sprawled on the floor, legs flailing in the air as he tripped over his bags and landed on his butt. He was still trying to cover himself as Shitty continued to pound on their door demanding cuddle time and ‘Jack Zimmerman’s beautiful existence!’. Jack finally stopped to look at Bitty who was biting down on his pillow to stifle his giggling and gave up. He rolled over on his stomach to move off his bags, giving Bitty a view that caused him to gasp in delight, before sitting on the floor by Bitty’s desk and giving the door and rather determined glare.

After taking a few moments to collect himself, and really enjoy the view, Bitty finally stood up and walked to the door and yelled “Go to bed Shitty! I am not opening this door for you to continue roughhousing. Ya’ll need to go to bed!” He pulls his phone and shoots a text to their group chat.

 **Bitty:** If ya’ll don’t get Shitty to go to bed I am on baking strike for the rest of the weekend! No cooking

He puts his phone away, ignoring Shitty’s pleas for entry, demands for Jack hugs, and railing against a systemic suppression of the masculine need for emotional support when he hears the pounding of Ransom and Holster coming down the stairs. Shitty calls out, thinking they are there to help him for only a minute before he starts yelling foul betrayal as they grab him and drag him away. His voice fades as Eric looks down at his boyfriend who is giggling unabashedly as he sits on the floor and reaches out for Bitty.

Bitty grabs his hand intending to help him up but Jack pulls him down and he crashes into Jack’s lap as Jack wraps his arms around the blonde and he pulls him into a kiss. “I guess we probably shouldn’t…” Jack says when they pull apart, sounding disappointed but still laughing.

“Probably not” Eric sighs and manages to stand up and this time he pulls Jack up as well. They move toward Bitty’s bed when he feels Jack’s hands on his hips.

“You don’t need to wear all that though” Jack growls in his ear and Bitty flushes.

“No sir!” Eric says with a smirk as Jack pushes his shorts and briefs down as Bitty pulls his shirt off. They may not be able to do anything with a Haus-ful of people, even drunk ones, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t enjoy what they can.

Slipping into his bed Eric smiles happily as Jack wraps him up in his arms as he snuggles up to the older man. He knows the rest of the weekend is going to be tough, but they can do it. Stolen touches, brief caresses, and loving looks will hold them through the day but at night? Night will be just for them and though they may not be able to be together as fully as they want, this is so much better than Skype. And besides, if they are quiet, there is still a whole lot that they can do as long as they plan ahead to manage details. 

Bitty yawns as he feels Jack’s breathing slip into his sleep pattern. Amazed that he is already so in tune with this part of Jack, Eric hums happily. He doesn’t stay awake much longer as he joins Jack into a deep sleep thanks to the warmth created by their body heat. Bitty sighs contentedly. He loves this boy so much!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Okay, I was going to post the whole thing as one big fic, but it started getting long. I swear I must be incapable of writing a one-shot, I always want to keep adding to the story. Since I only have about half of the six sections written, and not in order of course, I decided to go ahead and make it a six part story so no promises on the length of any particular chapter. This is my first stand alone CheckPlease! fic, so appreciate any thoughts or feedback. Hope you enjoy it and thanks to Ngozi for creating these wonderful characters that we can all enjoy and play with!_


	2. Halloween

Bitty turned around several times looking at himself in the mirror. He had really outdone himself this time and he kept blushing when he thought about Jack’s reaction when he saw him in this outfit. He had been online looking for ideas for Halloween when he found a picture of a girl wearing a modified bunny suit: a singlet that looked like really short shorts with a cotton tail and a hood that had bunny ears on it and he stopped with delight. A big smile had crossed his face and he knew it would be perfect! Putting it together took him a bit of time, but it was going to be totally worth it. If anyone needed to ask, he was, or course, a puck bunny and while he knew that he was setting himself up for some serious chirping, it would be worth it for the effect it was going to have on a certain professional hockey player.

He had finished with over a week to spare so he would be ready for the party and no one had a clue yet about what he had planned to wear. He had already figured out that Holster and Ransom were going as Booster Gold and Blue Beetle which Bitty thought was hilarious. Those two characters were best buds in the comics with a serious gay subtext, just like a certain pair of captains, so it was a perfect fit.

Lardo had managed to keep her plans under wraps but after discovering that Shitty wouldn’t be able to attend this year due to Harvard issues, she was a bit bummed and Bitty was certain that her plans had changed from her original costume idea as a result.

Bitty turned so that he could check out his backside in the mirror and could clearly see the outline of his briefs and frowned. He would have to do something different as he didn’t want to have visible lines and just that thought caused him to blush. He had bought a pair of teeny, tiny briefs that were actually closer to being a thong, with the idea of surprising Jack on a visit but he hadn’t the nerve to wear them yet, but they might work with this costume instead.

Taking off his costume and getting back in his regular t-shirt and jeans he smiled when his laptop dinged and he saw the notification from Jack. It was time for their nightly call!

“Hey sweetheart!” he said happily. “I was just trying out my costume for Halloween and I think you will really like it!” he teased.

Jack was silent for a second before he sighed. Bitty recognized that sigh. Since Graduation Bitty had talked to Jack daily and he was picking up on a lot more of Jack’s non-verbal forms of communication. He had one sigh for when he was physically tired, one when he was tired of pretending about Bitty, a “Bad Bob” sigh which didn’t happen too often but was usually triggered by being compared to his dad, a game performance sigh when he was being too hard on himself, and this one, the ‘I am about to disappoint you Bitty and I am sorry but please understand’ sigh.

“Jack, honey. It’s okay. Did something come up with the team?” he guesses.

“Yes” Jack says with a touch of relief. Bitty reads him and his emotions better than anyone ever has, even his parents or Kent or Shitty, and he feels some of the weight ease from his shoulders. It still amazes Jack how open and comfortable he is around Eric and how quickly he seemed to figure Jack out. Eric always seems to know exactly what to say or do to make him feel better. “They added a family night event for Halloween. Tricks with the team thing” Jack explains. “George specifically asked for me to be there and it’s the same night as the party and then since we were all going to be there, the team wants to do a team dinner night with WAGs.” Jack mutters the last part.

Eric smiles at the nervousness in Jack’s voice and feels for the sadness that he knows is due to the whole WAG stuff. “Jack honey, it’s your own fault” he teases. “Who knew that you would be one of the best guys on the team when it comes to working with kids? They all love you and you look absolutely adorable when you are focusing on them. Of course they will want you there!” he gushes. “And you need to spend some time with your team ‘family’ too!”

“I really wanted to be at the party” Jack begins. “And I'm not really up for more questions from Alexi about ‘my girl’ in front of everyone” he adds sadly.

“Jack I know, I mean it, it’s okay. Besides, with Shitty not attending I can be Lardo’s ‘date’ and we can hang out. If you had come you know everyone would be all over you all night anyway” he jokes. 

“Hmmm…maybe Lardo and I can send a picture of both of us and you can show it when they ask who you are dating.” He winks at Jack’s reaction to that. “Besides, I can promise that you will regret not getting to see me in my costume” he says with a devilish tone.

“Since I’m not coming down, you can tell me about it?” Jack hints. He had been trying to get Bitty to tell him ever since Bitty had started teasing him about finding the ‘perfect costume for the secret boyfriend of a NHL player’ several weeks ago.

“Nope” Eric shut that down. You will have to wait till the party and watch my tweets, Instagram, and the group chat” he laughs, noticing that Jack seems to have forgotten about the WAG thing, at least for the moment.

Jack relaxes and they chat for another hour as part of their nightly ritual as Eric gets ready for bed. He knows Jack is unhappy about how things are and when things like this happen, and while Eric is also a bit disappointed, he is definitely also looking forward to seeing the photos of Jack with the kids at Halloween. The last ‘Flying with the Falconers’ photos nearly killed Eric with cuteness. 

* * *

 

The day of the party was crazy. Bitty had baked tons of cookies, mini pies, and various other treats to be put out over the night. Holster and Ransom had stockpiled almost as much alcohol as Epikegster and the frogs had strung lights in the Haus and yard. Nursey had a friend in charge of the music to make sure the party was rocking.

Bitty had finished getting dressed and, checking the mirror, confirmed that the lines were definitely gone without looking too obscene. He had managed to keep it quiet but he was certain it was going to set everyone off.

Walking out of his room he saw Lardo whose eyes widened for a moment before she burst out laughing. “Oh Gods Bits! That is so perfect!” she was having trouble breathing. “I have to get a picture with you to send Jack and Shitty!” she demands and pulling Chowder out of his room, she hands him her phone demanding he take the picture. Chowder flushes a deep scarlet at Bitty’s costume but he takes the pic and they head downstairs to make sure things are going well.

People start pouring in as the night progresses and he gets quite a few compliments on his outfit, especially from some of the girls on Farmer’s volleyball team. His teammates are mostly stunned and he has endured quite the chirping all night. He has also noted that all night either Dex, Nursey, Holster, or Ransom is standing somewhat next to him which is a bit unusual.

Eric wanders around the room and stops to watch Lardo and Whiskey obliterate some football guys in beer pong. Guess they all should have expected someone with the nickname of Whiskey to like drinking.

“Nice costume” a deep, but obviously slurred voice says from behind him.

Turning around he sees a guy dressed as a Chippendales’ dancer: tight black pants, bowtie with no shirt on and a chest that tells everyone that he definitely could be in the show. It also looks like he even oiled himself up. “Thanks” Bitty replies slightly tipsy himself and appreciating the view, for purely aesthetic reasons of course and he suddenly misses Jack.

The guy then steps a bit too close for Bitty with a rather predatory look on his face. “Can I get you a drink?” his voice is low and deep and that rings alarm bells in Bitty’s head.

“Thanks, but I’m good” he replies politely and steps away to put some distance between them. 

“Damn those are some short shorts man” the guy’s eyes are lingering on him and making Bitty feel a bit too ogled. “Need any help getting out of them?” he asks, the smell of alcohol nearly overpowering on his breath.

Bitty pauses in shock for a moment before collecting his thoughts, his pleasant alcohol buzz fading quickly. “No thanks” he says trying to sound both firm and polite “but my boyfriend can handle it.”

“Really? You have a boyfriend?” he scoffed. “I haven’t seen you with anyone all night. Maybe you need someone more…attentive” his eyes are burning and he reaches over to put his hand out and Eric moves faster than he expected causing the guy to stumble.

“Well I do and he is a Hockey player who makes me very happy” Bitty stammered nervously.

“And he’s right here” another voice suddenly growls. Bitty turns to see the 6’4” wall of muscle that is Adam Holster standing there glaring at the other guy, using the extra four inches of height he has on the guy and his better muscles to cause the guy to step back with a nervous look. Holster’s costume is rather skin tight instead of the bare chest of the guy but somehow it makes Holster’s muscles even more impressive.

“Sweetheart! There you are!” Bitty says happily. Holster looks over at him and has about two seconds to react before Bitty jumps into his arms, but he manages to catch him. 

When Bitty lands in his arms, Adam lifts him up and Bitty wraps his arms around the blonde d-man’s neck. “Did you miss me?” Bitty teases laying his head on Holster’s shoulder. He exaggerates his giggles for a minute before suddenly looking serious “is he gone yet?” he whispers to his teammate.

“Yeah, made a beeline for the door” Holster grins at the small blonde in his arms. “What are you doing with a LAX dude anyway?” 

“Ugh!” Bitty makes a face. “He started following me around the party and pushing a bit too much. Thanks for the rescue. I could have handled him but I appreciate the assist. Um...are you gonna put me down?” he finally asks.

Holster suddenly squints at him and his look turned thoughtful. “And who is this boyfriend of yours? You dating someone and holding out on us? And he plays Hockey?” Holster smirked. "Think I deserve some deets bro!"

Bitty started stammering and blushes. "No" he stammers. "Of course not." Bitty is desperately trying to think of a way out when he suddenly gets a brilliant idea “I was talking about Shitty” Eric said looking up with a wink. “I figured that the LAX boys would all know about him so I was going to say he was my boyfriend and the dude would bolt.”

Holster laughs. “You can bet on that. I swear the stuff he did to them was Legendary!” Adam shook his head in admiration as he walked across the room, still carrying the blonde bunny. Bitty starts laughing at the looks they are getting. They connect up with Ransom who is laughing out loud looking at them. Lardo giggles behind him and they hear Nursey yell “Smile!” and Bitty does as he takes a photo with the four of them, Bitty still in Holster’s arms. 

Holster finally sets Bitty down and he gets Nursey to send him the photo which is a great one showing all four of them in their costumes. Bitty posts it on the group chat with the caption “My Hero!”

Shitty replies first, very quickly: 

**Shitty:** dear god. swawesome #WishIWereThere

Jack is just a few moments after Shitty's comment, but much shorter. 

**Jack:** Haha. Nice.

Surprisingly Johnson also replies which was strange because Bitty was fairly sure he wasn’t actually on the group chat but he had long ago given up on figuring Johnson out: 

**Johnson:** There’s an infinite number of things going on here.

Bitty feels his phone buzz again and saw that he had just gotten a private text from Jack. Opening it he smiled. 

**Jack:** _Merde!_ You are killing me Bits! 

**Bitty:** You like?

 **Jack:** _Beaucoup!_ Will you wear it again some time…just for me, _Mon petit lapin_?

Bitty blushes and sends a heart eyes emoji along with a blushing one. 

“Bits?” Lardo asks and Bitty looks up to see her watching him with a strange expression. 

“Yeah?” he replies.

She stares for a minute before shaking her head “Nevermind…come one, I need you to help me to show Whiskey and Nursey up in Cups. You are going to be my partner” she laughs and drags him off.

* * *

By the time the party over Bitty is exhausted but he does manage to get one selfie of him in the mirror showing off his bunny tail and sending to Jack before getting undressed.

Just as he lays down his phone buzzes and he sees Jack sent a photo back. Opening the message he gasps and feels the blood rush to his face. Jack’s photo is him wearing nothing but a pair of baby blue boxer briefs and those terrible cat ears that he wore last year as a joke. Bitty has to fan himself looking at the picture. “Oh dear lord” he whispers in appreciation at the sight of Jack looking like that, especially that devilish smile on his face that tells Bitty exactly what he is thinking about.


	3. In Providence for a Falconer's Game

Bitty is moving about the kitchen packing the last of the baked goods he is bringing with them. The team had finally managed to arrange to all go together to Providence to watch one of Jack’s game and see him play. Bitty had managed to sneak away earlier to see Jack’s first official home game and stay, just overnight, which was glorious, but he had class and had to come back early the next morning. Luckily, he somehow had managed to make it back without everyone knowing he even went. 

But this time there was a whole group going to the game and Jack had got them all tickets. Shitty had even managed to get away from his classes and was driving over from Harvard to join them. So it was going to be Ransom, Holster, Lardo and Eric in car one and Dex, Nursey, Chowder, and Farmer in car two. The tadpoles were going to have to wait for another game to see Jack. 

Jack had offered everyone space to crash for the night at his place but only car one and Shitty were going to be staying. Dex was freaking out about a class assignment and Farmer had a volleyball game that she had to get back for and Chowder wanted to go to support her, so the three of them wanted to leave right after the game. Nursey didn’t care either way so he offered to ride back with them.

Eric was looking forward to seeing Jack, but he knew it was going to be tough. He was finally meeting Jack's new teammates, though they didn't know about him and Jack yet so it should be okay, but he was also going to be at Jack’s place and they would not be able to act like they normally did. He knew that the pressure of pretending was really getting to Jack though he tried hard to make sure Jack knew that he understood and was willing to wait. They had talked and Eric had been slightly shocked when Jack confessed that he had told his parents about the two of them, though he had sworn them to secrecy since Eric’s parents didn’t know about him yet, let alone that he was dating Jack.

“Bits you ready?” Holster yelled as he came down the stairs.

“Yes!” Bitty hollered snapping the lid on his cookie tray. He had found a recipe for salted caramel apple pie cookies he had tried and was pretty sure that the team would like. He had let Tango and Whiskey taste them this morning when they came by and they had enthusiastically approved and even tried to steal some extras before Bitty chased them out of the kitchen but he did leave a few extra for them anyway.

Grabbing Jack’s pie, some mini key lime pies, and a box of peanut butter bars, he stepped out before remembering to run back inside and get his duffel bag with his clothes before jumping into Holster’s car. Hopping in the back seat with Lardo they smiled as they took off to the sounds of Holster and Ransom hollering out their windows as they headed for Providence.

* * *

 

They weren’t able to catch up with Jack before the game but that wasn’t a surprise to anyone. Jack’s pregame rituals were pretty sacred, even at Samwell, so they weren’t expecting to do so.

Bitty, watching his phone suddenly smiled. He stood up from his seat and when Shitty looked at him he tried to look casual. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom and maybe get a drink. Be back in a few…depending on the lines” he said happily.

“Should’ve gotten something when we all did” Ransom teased him. They had loaded up with drinks and snacks before coming in to sit down.

“Want someone to go with you?” Dex offered considerately but Bitty just waved him off and headed down to the main concourse. Heading quickly for the team door he walked up to the security guard and gave his name and ID to the man who let him inside. Eric walked quickly down towards the players’ area when he heard a hiss.

“Bits!” Jack’s voice called out quietly.

Bitty stopped and looked over and saw Jack standing there in his uniform with a smile. Grabbing his hand, Jack pulled Eric into the shadows for a quick kiss and smiled. “You made it okay?” Jack asked.

“No problems. The tickets were waiting for us and the guard just let me in, no problems. Good luck tonight” Bitty whispered and gave him another quick kiss. “We are all so excited to be here to cheer for you!”

Jack smiled and headed back to the locker room while Bitty went back to the public area and his seat and was headed towards the entrance when he remembered his excuse and slipped back to the concession area to get a soda. Getting it quickly he made it back to his seat before either team took the ice.

* * *

 

The game was great. Providence was playing the Redwings, so there were no split loyalties among them which was good because Bitty would not have been happy if anyone had cheered against Jack. Alexi scored in the first period and they managed to keep Detroit from scoring. The second period kicked off with Jack scoring almost immediately giving them a 2-0 lead. Detroit came back and scored but Alexi and Guy drove back quickly and got the puck back to Jack who sank one in bringing the score to 3-1. In the third period Detroit scored again but Thirdy managed to get a goal as well keeping the Falconer’s lead at 4-2 when, in the final minute of the game, the stars all seemed to align.

Alexi took a hard check but managed to shoot the puck to Little Poot who drew both of Detroit’s D-men but they missed him shooting the puck across the ice straight to Jack who was perfectly position and the crack of his stick against the puck could be heard across the arena as it flew between the bar and the Redwing goalie to score, giving Jack his first NHL Hat Trick and giving the final score of 5-2 for the win.

All of a sudden everyone was throwing their hats on the ice, including the whole gang, with Shitty screaming himself hoarse “JACK ZIMMERMAN YOU BEAUTIFUL FUCKER!” as he cheered.

Bitty was bouncing beside him as the rest of the team cheered alongside him and he caught the moment when Jack looked over at them and touched his fingers to his heart and then his lips before pointing. Which sent their section of the stands into hysterics. And while no one else may think it, Bitty was very certain that Jack had been looking and pointing right at him.

The game ended and the celly began for the Falconers who were clearly enjoying both the win, the hat trick, and their fans’ cheering. “Jack’s probably got press after this, so I guess we will meet him at his place” Shitty says to them still smiling.

“Okay everyone, follow me!” Bitty says with a smirk and headed out with the team following behind. Jack had made arrangements for them but only Eric knew about it so it could be a surprise. He grabbed Lardo’s hand and they headed to the concourse, the rest of the team following along. Eric leads them to the door with the same security guard as before and walks right up despite the sounds of concern that are coming from Holster and Ransom.

“Hi” Bitty says with a smile. “Guests of Jack Zimmerman” he says clearly and lists off all of their names. The guard looks at his clipboard and nods.

“Need to see IDs” he says as Bitty hands his over. The rest of them are suddenly digging out their IDs and he checks each of them against his list and then smiles and opens the door.

Adam and Ransom hoop and holler as they dash forward and the rest of them follow quickly.

“Bitty, what the hell?!” Lardo asks him as they head towards the locker room.

Eric laughs. “Jack thought ya’ll might like to see the locker room and meet his teammates. He made me promise not to tell you though” Bitty says with a smile. He looks over and sees Chowder looking like he is going to pass out. Caitlin is talking constantly to him to keep him moving.

They get to the locker room door where another guard checks their IDs again before sticking his head inside and speaking to someone. A minute later he opens the door and they walk in to the Falconer’s locker room just as Jack walks in from the ice. He gets about two steps before being dog piled by Shitty, Holster, and Ransom who grab him yelling and hugging. The rest of them get their hugs though Bitty hangs back with a smile, as they are all congratulating him on the win and the game.

Suddenly a towering guy comes up and Bitty smiles at the tall Russian that has been taking care of Jack. Ransom starts gushing as Tater smiles. “You all Zimmboni’s teammates, yes!” he says looking at them and smiling. “He always talking about you!”

“I cannot believe we missed ‘Zimmboni’” Holster says shaking his head and looking disappointed at Shitty. “We blame you Shits!” he tells him.

Shitty looks utterly betrayed, not to mention a bit ashamed for missing it, and tries to defend himself swearing that it was the upperclassmen’s job when he and Jack were tadpoles and then he launched into a tirade about something that caused Tater to look totally confused. 

The rest of the team came up for Jack to introduce them to everyone when Tater looked at Caitlin and Lardo and, grabbing them in a big bear hug and smiled happily. “So, which of you two is Jack’s girl, huh? Who is one making him smile so much on phone, hmmm?” he asks them grinning back and forth.

“I’m dating Chowder” Caitlin squeaks pointing at the goalie which causes Tater to turn to look at Lardo. 

“So you Jack’s girl?” he booms.

Lardo slips her sunglasses down her nose so she can look at the big Russian. Bitty is watching her nervously but he cannot tell you how she does it. She is shorter than Eric is but somehow, someway, she manages to look down at the towering Tater over her glasses. Bitty is impressed, especially because it seems that Tater flinches, the poor boy. “Jack wishes I was his girl” she sasses the big Russian. “But he is going to have to work a whole lot harder than that.”

Tater looks stunned for a second before he roars with laughter. “You great! I like you! You too good for Zimmboni! You cook?” he suddenly asks her and she starts laughing at him. Shaking his head, Tater smiles again “Jack’s girl great cook. You no cook, you not steal him away. Way to man through stomach my babushka always say!”

Bitty is blushing and he can see Jack is smiling awkwardly but everyone else seems to be laughing more at Tater than Jack. Jack steps up and tells them he needs to shower and do press so they say goodbyes and head back upstairs. At this point Dex, Nursey, Chowder, and Caitlin say their goodbyes and decide to head back to Samwell. The rest of them head out to their car where Shitty says they can run grab some food so they don’t have to wait for Jack to get done to get into his apartment.

“There’s food at Jack’s and I have a key” Bitty says casually as they reach the car and everyone stops.

“You have a key?” Holster asks looking at Bitty. 

“Uh yeah” Bitty stammers. “Jack gave me a key and said to head on over while you were meeting the team” he tells them. He smiles as they leave because he has had a key since August but he isn't telling anyone about that!

“SWAWESOME!” Shitty yells and they split up with Lardo riding with Shitty.

They arrive at Jack’s place and head upstairs where Bitty opens the door. They all pile in, bringing in Bitty’s food along with their bags and some really nice beer that Shitty had found in Boston. Eric goes to the kitchen and pulls out some of the food and lays out the stuff he brought. He is pulling out glasses and other stuff when he hears a snort behind him.

“You know where everything is” Lardo says with a smirk. Ransom, Holster, and Shitty are running around the place checking everything out.

Eric blushes. “I came up to visit Jack before pre-season started” Bitty admits. She raises and eyebrow. “Jack wanted some help picking out stuff for his kitchen so we went shopping and got him the essentials” he says with a chuckle.

Lardo reaches over and pulls out a rolling pin that was sitting on the counter and holds it up. “Just the essentials?” she asks waving it.

“I did teach him how to make a pie I’ll have you know” Eric says defensively. "He wasn't too bad and said he wanted to try and improve. Eating in is healthier you know?" Lardo just nodded and hmm-ed.

The boys came in at that point and began grabbing food and beer and moving to the big screen TV to watch highlights. Jack showed up about 45 minutes later and everyone was talking about the game and telling Jack how amazing it was. 

“So Jack” Lardo asks turning towards him. “Why is Tater so convinced that you have a girlfriend? A girlfriend who cooks I might add.”

Jack looks over at her and sees the others all turn towards him to listen to his response. Jack sighs. “I don’t like going out to bars and stuff so when someone said it must be because I already have someone, I just nodded and they kind of ran with it” he explains. “It allows me to still do dinners or lunches or team stuff, but avoid bars, clubs and all of that stuff” he sounds tired.

“But what was that about the cooking?” Ransom asks looking confused.

“Well” Jack draws out the word. “Bitty might have sent me some goodies that I brought in to share and Tater decided that they were from my girl and everyone just went with it. I didn’t even know they did that till everyone was convinced my girl was great cook” Jack shook his head as the others all started laughing at him and chirping both him and Bitty.

“So Bits, guess you are secretly dating a NHL professional hockey player now!” Holster roared with laughter and Bitty flushed bright red which caused even more laughs. The others were chirping them both about it good naturedly for some time before they moved on to Shitty complaining about his Harvard law classmates.

Jack finally called it a night and everyone decided to go to bed since it was now after 1am and they were all yawning continuously. Lardo and Shitty claimed the guest room and Jack had brought out pillows and blankets for Holster and Ransom to use on the sofas. Jack offered to let Bitty stay with him very casually but it didn’t seem that anyone was really paying attention.

Eric changed quickly to his shorts and stood at the door looking undecided. Jack came out in his sleep shorts and smiled coming up and giving Eric a quick kiss. “What about the door?” Bitty whispered.

Jack smiled but reached over and locked the door. “I am not having Shits sneak over here tonight, not when I get to have you here” Jack looked down at Bitty as he put his hands on Eric’s cheeks and kissed him deeply. When they finally broke apart, Jack smiled happily. “I’ve been wanting to do that all night!” he sighed.

“Me too” Bitty whispered. They got into bed and turned the lights off as Eric snuggled up against Jack and fell asleep in his boyfriend’s arms.

* * *

 

The next morning Jack and Bitty were up before anyone with Jack going on a run and Eric making breakfast. Neither one of them knowing that someone did try to open the door to Jack’s room last night but was stopped by the locked door, but no one said anything to the boys.


	4. Winter Screw

“But Bitty!” Holster wails at the short blonde as he moves around the kitchen. “You have to have a date for Winter Screw!”

“It’s in the By-laws!” Ransom adds looking almost as upset as when he has more than one final on the same day. Bitty shudders, those are not good days in the Haus nor are the days before it. Ransom is freaking out and Holster is a tyrant trying to manage everyone to protect him.

“Sorry boys but that only works for freshman year” Eric says sagely. “I checked with Shitty and he confirmed it. The by-laws only allow date matching for tadpoles. After that it is purely optional” he tried not to smirk but he was feeling particularly good about the fact that he had prepared and outmaneuvered the two seniors.

Both boys start to yell and wail. “But you have to go!” Ransom says. “This is our last Winter Screw! You aren’t going to miss it are you? Don’t you want to celebrate it with us” he looks at the short baker trying to make him feel guilty. The worst part was that the two of them were truly evil because they kept playing the ‘last time’ card anytime someone tried to say no. ‘It’s our last opening game’, ‘It’s the last Halloween party’, ‘It’s the last time we will have Oktoberfest in the Haus’ though Bitty was sure that they made up that last one because they didn’t celebrate it the two prior years to his knowledge. The worst part was that even knowing what they were doing, it still worked on him.

“I will go to the Screw guys” Bitty agrees with a smile and a nod. He can see that they are getting ready to yell when he cuts them off. “BUT! I am just going to go stag. Shitty will be here to take Lardo and everyone else has dates” he pauses. “You did confirm actually that the tadpoles do have dates, right?” he asks trying to look concerned.

Holster and Ransom only look at each other for a moment before tearing out of the room. Bitty mutters a prayer of forgiveness from the tadpoles but at this point it was either them or him, and he had already dealt with Ransom and Holster’s matchmaking for two years so it was their turn. He was pretty sure Tango didn’t have a date so that should keep them occupied.

Everything was moving along just as Bitty had planned. He and Jack planned to spend that night together. Jack would come down right after everyone had headed out, Bitty would pretend to get sick that day and he would have to stay home while everyone else went to the dance. He was certain he could manage the ‘sick enough to stay home, but okay enough that you all should still go’ without raising suspicions. Then, he and Jack would get to have dinner and watch a movie in Eric’s room and spend the night in Eric’s room. Jack would be able slip out in the morning while everyone was sleeping off their hangovers. Perfect plan!

On Wednesday, Bitty started showing ‘symptoms’ casually. He coughed and blew his nose a bit but insisted he was fine. Thursday he added a slight headache and some chills – wearing extra layers wasn’t a burden, he actually was a bit colder than normal. He was rather proud of using his aversion to the cold of the season to help him. By Friday he was so doing so good he was actually convincing himself. He actually had a runny nose and decided to add taking a couple of aspirin where his Haus-mates could see.

“Bitty, you don’t look so good” Chowder said as he came in the kitchen Saturday morning.

Eric looked up and saw the sophomore looking concerned. “I’m fine Chowder, don’t ya’ll worry bout me” then he sneezed.

Chowder stepped back and slipped out of the room only to return with Lardo who took one look at Bitty and yelled for Ransom and Holster. She ordered them to haul him to his room and put him to bed which they did over Eric’s coughing objections. After laying down for a moment he was feeling a bit dizzy and then he decided that maybe he would lay down for just a short rest. Lardo said she would check on him in a little while.

Eric woke up to a cool sensation on his forehead and found Lardo putting a wet rag on his forehead. “You are looking pretty bad Bits. Want me to stay home with you?” she offers.

Eric smiles knowing that Shitty was supposed to be taking her to her last Screw and glancing at the clock. It was already 4pm so he figured that they were probably already pre-drinking downstairs. “I’ll be fine, I promise. Feeling better already” he smiled and shooed her out of his room. Stepping back to the bed he collapsed feeling much, much worse. Oh dear, he thought groggily, his fake sickness has turned real. 

* * *

 

The next time he woke up the cool rag was being pressed around his face and he looked up into a pair of ice blue eyes. “Hi honey” Eric croaked happily. Eric tried to sit up but a wave of dizziness hit him and Jack pressed him back down into the mattress.

“You were only supposed to pretend to be sick” Jack smiled down at him but frowned as Eric started coughing when he tried to laugh. 

“I’m not that sick” Eric complained. “I can still be sexy and stuff” Jack guessed that he was trying to look seductive but it was totally not working with the red eyes, flushed cheeks, and runny nose. “I will prove it” he said and Jack thought he was trying to kiss him but he was doing such a bad job that Jack had to smile at how adorable it was.

“Eric _mon cher_ , I love you but you are too sick. It’s okay, I’m here to take care of you” Jack told him tenderly. 

“I’m so sorry for ruining our plans” Eric moaned. 

“ _Mon petit_ ” Jack smiled happily down at the blonde looking so sad at Jack. “That doesn’t matter to me at all. I get to take care of you” he smiled. Sliding Bitty over a bit Jack laid down on the bed on top of the covers and Eric immediately snuggled up against the warmth of Jack’s body. Jack rubbed his back for a few minutes before the small blonde was asleep again.

The rest of the night was a long one for Jack. He held Bitty who alternated between shivering and trying to throw off all the covers as he sweats. Jack kept getting water, Gatorade, medicine, and rewetting the washcloth all night long. Jack finally fell asleep around 3:00am. 

* * *

 

It was close to 4:00 when he was awoken to muffled voices in the Haus as everyone returned from the Screw and Jack was glad he had remembered to lock Eric's door. 

“SHHHH!” Jack heard Holster’s loud call for silence. “Bitty’s probably asleep so be quiet!” he whisper yelled and Jack rolled his eyes. He looked down at Eric fast asleep in his arms finally. Once his fever broke, he slipped into a deep and restful sleep and Jack was determined to keep it that way.

“You be quiet!” Lardo growled, softer than Holster but still too loud for Jack’s preference. “You are the one making all the noise. Just go to bed everyone and I will check on Bits.”

Jack heard them all shuffle off, he heard Shitty’s voice but it was too low to catch the words. He heard the door knob turn and Lardo whisper “Bitty” but before he could reply he heard Chowder’s voice. 

“He locked his door?” Chowder whispered.

“Yeah” Lardo whispered back. “Must have felt better and didn’t want anyone coming in and waking him up. Go to bed!” she told him and Jack heard both of them shuffle off and then the light under their door went off as they finally turned off the hall lights.

Jack sighed and tightened his grip on Eric who snuggled automatically into Jack’s chest. Though they didn’t get the night they were planning on, Jack still loved it. Taking care of Eric made Jack feel centered and happy in a way he didn’t quite understand. He decided to just accept the feeling and not try to figure out why. Closing his eyes he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 

Lardo shambled into the kitchen following the smell of coffee and groaned “Coffee” much like Frankenstein’s monster would have. She shoved Jack aside to get her cup and flopped down at the table, laying her head on the table and moaning over the fact that she had actually listened to the guys and drank that foul tub juice of Shitty’s before the Screw. Then going out to that party with some of the Art students and dragging the guys along. She vaguely remembers something about upside down margaritas but just the thought was making her nauseous. Then she smelt it! Lardo was smelling toast. She peeked her head up enough to see the dry, safe, and comforting piece which Jack had put beside her. She carefully reached for it and thankfully it was real.

Munching slowly, god how bad was it when even eating toast was too loud, she tried not to think of how bad she felt. She tried to lift her head up enough to glare when she heard the soft chuckle coming from the other side of the kitchen but then flinched when the door banged open and she wailed painfully alongside Holster who had flinched in pain from the sound he had just caused.

He sat down and Jack put more coffee and toast down for him, topping off her cup and giving her another slice before sliding out of the kitchen.

She heard Ransom groaning “Morning Jack” from the hall before he came in but she really didn’t care.

Eventually everyone was up and drifting to the kitchen, toast and coffee helping center them when Chowder finally looked up, confusion clear on his face. “Did I imagine it, or did I see Jack here?” he mumbled.

Amid the groans, Lardo suddenly focused, she was feeling a lot better now and she did remember seeing Jack, dressed in a t-shirt and sweats, hair sleep ruffled, in the kitchen this morning. Why was he here? “I think he was?” Lardo said slowly and looked over at Shitty who had come late and missed seeing Jack. While Lardo could match him drink for drink, she had to give him props, the man recovered from drinking faster than anyone she knew and he was in better shape than the rest of them.

“Jack’s here?” he asked surprised. “Where?”

“Not sure” Ransom muttered. “I think he was going upstairs with toast and Gatorade when I was coming down.”

Lardo and Shitty looked at each other, eyebrows raised and headed for the stairs. They arrived at Bitty’s room with matching smirks. “You think Bitty maybe wasn’t so sick after all” Shitty asked and smiled wickedly.

Reaching for the door, Lardo found it unlocked and she slowly turned the knob and opened the door. They both peeked in until they saw Jack, sitting on the edge of the bed holding the Gatorade with a straw for Bitty to drink from. Bitty looked terrible, worse than when they left yesterday!

“Bits?” Shitty said cautiously as he carefully entered the room. Bitty looked over at the door, his eyes glazed and confused, as Jack gently chuckled.

“Johnson?” Bitty asked confusion clear in his voice before closing his eyes and groaning. “Why are you here? That makes absolutely no sense.”

Jack chuckled as set the drink down and changed Bitty’s washcloth before tucking his blanket tight around the smaller man. “It’s just Shitty” he tells the delirious blonde. Looking at Shitty and Lardo he smiles gently “He’s pretty sick” Jack tells them softly. 

“Why didn’t he say something, he said he was feeling better” Lardo asked obviously frustrated as she tiptoed into the room.

Jack snorted. “He didn’t want to mess up your last Screw or the tadpoles’ first one. When I realized how bad it was, I decided that I would take care of him. He has been shivering all night and burning up but think the fever broke around 2:30 last night.”

“How did you know to come?” Lardo asked confused.

“I called to see how he was doing with the whole Ransom and Holster thing and realized he was sick” Jack told her. 

“And you came down to take care of him” Shitty smiled. “Bro, you are a saint!” he was smiling as he and Lardo slipped back out.

Jack smiled looking down at the sleeping blonde before pressing a kiss on his forehead, now much cooler than before. “Sleep well mon petite” he whispered with a smile.


	5. Spring C

“JACK!” Shitty yelled into the phone when Jack picked up. “What are you doing three Saturdays from now?” he said, his voice bouncing with excitement.

“Why?” Jack asked suspiciously. Jack had learned very quickly in his relationship with Shitty to never say ‘nothing’ to that kind of question even if it was true. As a matter of fact, the Falconer’s had a home game on that Thursday and then they had a break until Tuesday when then left on for a three game roadie, so Jack had that weekend totally open and was hoping to convince Eric to come spend it with him.

“It is Spring C Bro!” Shitty said enthusiastically. “And I have managed to secure my freedom from this privileged nightmare of elite narcissists and you and I are going to go back to Samwell to celebrate it with our bros!” 

Jack rolled his eyes. Spring C had never been his favorite event at Samwell. Shitty always drank too much (even for Shitty), it was too loud, and with the crazy crowds it was just something Jack had not enjoyed. He had gone his first year but then skipped ever since. However, he did know that Eric had enjoyed it both years he went and last year he had had so much fun that he not only ended up losing one of his shoes, but he got so wasted that Shitty had ended up calling Jack to come get the younger man. Jack had arrived and seeing the state he was in, ended up giving Bitty a piggy back ride back to the Haus and then putting him to bed to sleep it off.

While that was the first time he gave Eric a ride on his back, it certainly wasn’t the last. At the Bittle family 4th of July picnic Jack got roped into giving several of Eric’s younger cousins rides and then when they went to the lake he even got Eric up on his shoulders for a game Jack had never heard of before called ‘chicken fighting’ where they managed to dominate the rest of the teams rather spectacularly.

Jack sighed in defeat. He had forgotten that Spring C would be that weekend and he knew that if he asked, Bitty would come to Providence even though it would mean missing the bands playing at the concert and all the music. “I think I can come down Shitty, but fair warning, I am not drinking” he warned him.

“BRO!” Shitty sounded mortally offended. “You cannot mean that!”

“Bro!” Jack responded back in the same tone. “Professional athlete here with PR team watching remember? I can’t be photographed out drinking or doing crazy stuff. Not to mention we are in crunch time for the season so…NO!”

Shitty grumbled for a bit before suggesting “We could drink at the Haus before going?” he offered casually.

“No Shits” Jack cut him off. He already knew that they would be drinking before the concert and besides, Jack was fairly certain that if he and Bitty got drunk, they would not be careful around each other. 

“Spring C is just too crazy. Just consider me designated driver…even though we are walking” Jack was firm and final and Shitty would just have to accept it. “But” Jack decided to offer an olive branch “I suppose a few beers at the Haus on Friday, with just the team, would be fine. Deal?”

“Deal!” Shitty said sounding happy again. “But you are bringing the beers” he demands and then laughs “and no cheap stuff either Mr. Professional Athlete!”

Jack laughs and they talked a bit more. Later that night Jack mentioned him and Shitty coming down to go to the concert with Bitty and everyone during their evening Skype and, just like he thought, Eric was very excited about it though Jack could tell he might be missing the chance to go to Providence just a bit. Jack mentioned his concern about drinking too much and giving them away to the rest of the team.

* * *

 

**FRIDAY BEFORE SPRING C**

Jack had finished up the morning’s practice and team meeting on Friday when Tater invited him to come to lunch with the other guys. While Jack really wanted to head out immediately for Samwell as he hasn’t seen his boyfriend in so long, he also knows that Eric will still be in class until later in the afternoon so he goes ahead and goes with them. During lunch he even gets some suggestions on some good craft beers from some of the other guys who quickly start arguing about the merits and complaints of the different choices, all of them willing to share their opinions about the different local beers.

After lunch he stops by a local store that carries a number of specialty brands. He tells the guy he wants to buy a couple of cases for some friends to try different brands, delighting the guy at the store who it turns out is also a Falconers fan. After Jack tells him it’s for his old college buddies and that he is trying to get them to try something better than Natty Light, the guy happily helps him assemble three cases of assorted brews so that they can not only taste test them, but actually enjoy drinking them.

After loading up his car, Jack makes the drive down Interstate 95 to Samwell in good time. He parks at the Haus and walks up the walkway only to see Ransom and Holster come bounding out the front door to tackle him in a giant hug. “JACK!” they scream out as they knock him down and they all fall to the grass. The guys are laughing at him and Jack smiles. He really has missed this, especially with the craziness of the season. What’s worse is that with every win, the pressure of the upcoming playoffs just increases on Jack.

“Shits said you were going to bring some good beer!” Ransom whispers conspiratorially.

Jack smiles. “I did. The guy at the store helped me find about a dozen different brands for everyone to try. Cases are in the car” he tells them as he sees the two seniors’ eyes light up.

They rush Jack’s car and start grabbing boxes to help unload the car. Jack makes them put all the beer on in the cooler sitting in the kitchen, he knows better than to mess with Bitty’s fridge, but then Holster demands that they run out immediately to murder Stop and Shop for ice. Jack agrees and drives them to get it and by the time they are back, Lardo has returned and is looking over Jack’s selections.

“Bro” she says succinctly. Jack correctly interprets Lardo speak as saying ‘Nice selection of beer brah’ and smiles as she comes over for a silent hug. They all move to the living room where they sit down and start talking. Everyone is asking about Jack’s games and he realizes that he is much more effusive in talking about them than his teammates in Providence would ever believe possible of him. But Jack doesn’t really want to talk about himself, instead he wants to hear about how the three seniors are doing in their final semester.

Nursey and Dex all show up about thirty minutes later and join the conversation. Several other teammates drift in over the next hour until it finally happens. Jack isn’t sure why, but this time, when he hears the door open, he just knows. It’s like some sixth sense is telling him that Eric is near, his body reacting to the physical presence of the man who has become his center. Looking over towards the door he sees Bitty walk in with Chowder. All of sudden, the small blonde looks up at him and Bitty’s smile lights up his entire face and Jack feels his stomach plunge. “Hi Jack” Bitty says simply and easily but Jack melts inside at everything that he isn’t saying but Jack can tell he means.

“JACK! You’re here! That’s swawesome!” Chowder yells and comes running at Jack, enthusiasm written all over his face. He starts bombarding Jack about his games, even apologizing for sorta rooting for the Sharks when they played the Falconers and while the excitable goalie was sad his home team lost, he was also super proud of Jack in that game. Jack smiled and replied when needed, which with Chowder wasn’t often, and glanced up to see that Bitty had gone into the kitchen but left the door propped. Jack was certain that he was in there baking.

* * *

 

Dinner was another Eric Bittle masterpiece. He had made mini chicken pot pies, of course, which the team devoured like piranha. The sauce was thick and creamy, the crust golden and delicious, with thick chunks of meat and vegetables and Jack smiled happily at the concoction. Trust Bitty to make sure his dinner was perfect to the evening. Not only was the food good and rich, but it was easy to eat spread across the Haus like they were and Jack was sure that the food was also designed to help offset the drinking that was going on.

“Bits, I have missed you so damn much!” Shitty said moaning happily as he took another bite of his pie. He had arrived about a half hour before dinner, had dogpiled on everyone, was on his fifth beer, and had lost at least half of his clothes already. The one good thing was that he seemed to be done undressing so they might be good for a while.

“If you ever want to run away, you can always come live with me!” he offers happily.

“Really bro?” Lardo says looking over at him with an arched eyebrow.

“Of course. The offer is naturally open to everyone, but I gotta give Bits dibs on the kitchen” he tells her with a wink.

Jack snorts quietly but Bitty notices and, catching his eye, he winks at the Canadian dork sitting on the floor after finishing his pie. The two of them had automatically made sure to sit with someone between them but they kept making eye contact throughout the meal. 

After polishing off at least half of the beer Jack brought, things start to wind down as it starts getting late. Most of the team has gone home by now to sleep in so they will be ready for Spring C. Chowder had kept yawning till Bitty ordered him upstairs and he even offered his room to Jack, again!, but Jack just smiled and declined as the exhausted goalie left and went upstairs to his bed. Shitty had gone to the reading room with Lardo a half hour earlier and Jack was pretty sure the two of them were sharing a joint and ‘getting mellow’. 

Jack and Bitty were left downstairs with Ransom and Holster and Bitty could tell that they wanted some time alone with Jack so he stood up to do some cleaning and signaled Jack to stay when he tried to help. Bitty walked into the kitchen when he heard the seniors start talking to Jack about the team. He had guessed that they were talking ‘captain’ stuff based on the last few weeks and the fact that it looked like Samwell had a good chance at the ECAC playoffs again.

Bitty finished up in the kitchen and peeked into the living room and saw them all still talking so he just headed upstairs to get ready for bed. After brushing his teeth and changing into one of Jack’s old shirts and his briefs, he crawled into bed and sent a quick text to Jack.

 **Eric:** In bed…waiting  <3

Putting his phone on to charge he smirked and wondered how long it would take Jack to get there. He didn’t have to wait too long as Jack walked in just a few minutes later as he heard Ransom and Holster head past his room on their way to the attic.

“Bits” Jack murmured slowly, looking at the blonde lying in the bed, one arm draped over his head and the other resting on his stomach, having moved the fabric up just enough to reveal the tan strip of flesh just above the waistband of his briefs. “Eric” Jack’s voice is thick with emotion as Eric leans up and lifts his shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor before laying back down in the bed, the moon’s light still coming though the closed curtains is still enough to be able to illuminate the room to cast Eric in an almost magical light.

Jack smiles, still unbelieving that he gets to have this, and undresses down to his briefs. He watches Bitty’s smile change from warm and gentle to hungry and possessive. Jack loves the way he feels when Eric looks at him like that: like he is the most amazing thing in the world. It’s not his famous name and legacy or his skill on the ice that Eric sees, it’s only Jack and Jack alone. It makes Jack go warm inside and gives him a joy he can’t believe some days.

Jack lays down in the bed, their bodies lining up like two perfect pieces of a puzzle. Bitty molds himself to Jack and, placing his hands on Jack’s face, he gently pulls him forward into a kiss that deepens into a warmth that envelopes them both. They start gently, with long slow kisses broken up by quick, short ones, to allow them to recover their breath. 

Shifting slightly, Jack rolls over and moves most of his weight to his hands and knees as he looks down into Bitty’s eyes as he lies beneath Jack. Jack lowers himself down gently, never putting too much weight on the smaller man, as their kisses become much more fevered and demanding. Jack feels Eric’s hands move from his hair and neck to circle around his shoulders and slide up and down Jack’s back. He shivers at the touch and moves to Bitty’s neck where he peppers the sun kissed skin with little nips and bites before moving back to those intoxicating lips.

He feels Eric lips move into a smile and that’s all the warning he gets as two hands move down his back and, not stopping at the waistband, slip under it and take a firm grasp his backside and squeezes. Jack starts and hears a soft giggle from beneath him. Looking down, he sees twinkling eyes filled with joy and humor. Eric had quietly admitted that grabbing Jack’s butt was one of the best perks of dating and he would often do so just to remind himself that all of this was real. Jack knew how he felt and he also admitted that he liked it when Bitty did it, so it was pretty good for both of them. He smiles at the gesture and decides to return the favor. Jack leans back down and sucks Bitty’s ear lobe between his teeth before moving his tongue around the shell of the ear. Jack had found out that Bitty’s ears were extremely sensitive and could send him over the edge fairly quickly. He hears the sudden intake of breath and a soft moan of pleasure and he smirks.

“HEY DUDES!” the voice is Shitty’s accompanied by a sharp banging on the window beside Eric’s bed and it causes them both to jump in fright.

Jack falls. There is no other word. He was trying to roll off and jump away but he forgot about Eric’s hands which were tangled in his briefs and they were still holding them when he tried to move which caused him to fall. He ends up lying half on the floor, his head and shoulders were on the floor, but his legs were sticking up. Bitty, pulled forward to the edge while Jack’s knees were on the edge, his briefs twisted together at his knees with his feet still lying on the bed. Eric had only startled and not really moved until Jack had dragged him forward but now he was looking at his boyfriend’s embarrassing predicament and was desperately trying not to laugh out loud at the situation.

“BROS!” Shitty yelled again as he continued to pound on the window. “Come out and sit with us! Love us! JAAAAAACK! BITTTTTTTY!” Shitty was wasted: drunk and high. Eric could hear Lardo giggling out there as well.

Eric refused to respond and looked down at Jack who had apparently decided that moving around would make too much noise so he was holding still making Eric smile wickedly. Moving his hands up, or down depending on your point of view, Jack’s thighs towards his waist, he was taunting Jack with his eyes since both of them knew Shitty and Lardo were just a curtain and piece of glass away. They could hear Lardo and Shitty talking, but neither of them could make out any words.

“Bits” Jack’s voice was low and warning as he pushed Eric’s hands away. Rolling over he managed to stand up and pull up his briefs, much to Eric’s dismay. Jack looked at the pout on the Georgia boy’s face and sighed. He laid back down in the bed and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, spooning him carefully with Eric’s back pressed up to Jack’s chest. “Don’t respond, he’ll give up sooner or later” Jack nods toward the window. 

“I guess we should have gone to Providence” Bitty sighed and looked back as Jack snickered.

“mhm” Jack nuzzled Bitty’s neck causing him to close his eyes in contentment. Maybe tomorrow Eric thought?

* * *

 

**SATURDAY MORNING**

Jack woke up to the increasing light in the room as the sun was coming in and he could already tell it was later than when he normally woke up. Looking down into the sleeping face of his boyfriend he smiled at the body perfectly molded into his own. Bitty was curled up, one arm across Jack’s chest, their legs tangled together, while his head was resting at that place where Jack’s shoulder and neck met. He sighed happily at both the sight and the warm feeling from their joined bodies. 

Carefully, moving so as to not wake him, Jack reached over and grabbed his phone. Pushing the button it lit up and he saw the time 8:28am. He had seriously overslept but figured that for a Saturday, especially after a night of drinking and hanging out, the rest of the Haus was probably going to be asleep for hours still.

Looking up at the ceiling he wondered what to do. Once he woke up, Jack usually couldn’t go back to sleep though he had managed it when Bitty was at his place in Providence but that was usually only after slow, sensual morning sex and then a nap afterwards. Smiling he realized that if everyone was still sleeping off last night’s beer, that they had some free time.

Leaning over he gently kissed Bitty’s nose and proceeded to kiss around his face gently as Jack watched Eric slowly come to consciousness. Finally, seeing Eric’s lips curl into a smile, Jack leaned in and took those lips into his own for a deeper kiss and felt Bitty’s hand tighten on his chest, his legs rubbing against Jack’s and the sudden intake of breath.

“Mornin” Bitty whispered with a throaty voice as he slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

“Morning Bits” Jack whispered back. 

“What time is it?” Eric asks dreamily.

“8:30” Jack said gently.

Eric looked perturbed. “You are waking me up at 8:30 on the Saturday before Spring C? When we didn’t go to sleep till almost 2am?”

“Everyone in the Haus is asleep” Jack murmured as he nibbled on Bitty’s neck.

“Uh-huh” Bitty responded still sounding unhappy.

“Will be for some time to come” Jack continued and added a quick swipe of his tongue along Bitty’s collarbone.

“Ummm…what?” Bitty was now sounding more confused than anything.

“So since we are the only ones awake…” Jack’s voice trailed off as his hands slid down Bitty’s torso to stop right at his belly button and gently stroke the soft skin and muscles there. “Thought we might find something to do” he finished.

Eric moaned at the combination of Jack’s hands and mouth on his body for a moment before his eyes popped open. “Wait? Everyone’s asleep?” he finally caught up and rolled over on top of Jack pressing his lips against the older man’s with heat and force.

Jack smiled into the kiss…this was what he was waiting for and there was no one to knock on the window this time.

* * *

 

Shitty staggered down the stairs blinking furiously. He was following his nose that was telling him that there was coffee and food somewhere ahead. Pushing open the kitchen door the smells almost knocked him over. Jack and Chowder were sitting at the table eating while Bitty was still moving around, cooking.

“He lives!” Jack laughed at him.

He wished he was in a condition to respond, anyway other than the grunt he managed, but he wasn’t. He collapsed into a chair just as Bitty handed him a mug of coffee, to which he offered prayers of thanksgiving to Bitty and all his ancestors, and sipped that glorious brew.

A few minutes later his brain was working again just as Bitty put down a plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs and he started inhaling. God Bitty could cook like no other and he had missed this so much! “Bits, you are a prince among men. I would nominate you for sainthood for the pancakes alone if I could” he sighed.

“So what’s the plan” Jack asked with a smile that was too damn chipper for Shitty this early.

“What time is it?” he asked instead.

“10:30” Chowder said smiling. “Farmer said the girls were heading over at 3:30 to grab a good spot since they start at 5.”

Shitty nodded. “The plan was to do late lunch, like 2 or so, and then head over around 4 to set up and watch things. We can bring a cooler, but just have to be cool, you know?” Shitty knew that everyone snuck in alcohol and as long as you were chill, no one cared.

“Sounds good. I will text the team the details” Bitty said with a smile. Shitty looked at him and blinked. The junior was glowing with happiness. God he did not deal well with morning people, even when he loved them. How anyone could be so happy this early on a Saturday was beside him. Though he had to admit Jack was also looking rather pleased with himself. 

At that moment Ransom and Holster shambled in like extras from the Walking Dead until Bitty got them their coffee fix and breakfast. Lardo was up and showering already, though how she could move without coffee he didn’t know.

Chowder and Jack started talking, loudly, about hockey and Shitty groaned, ‘another happy person’ he grumbled with despair.

* * *

 

Bitty was following the group as they reached the lake quad and he thought that they might have needed to come a bit earlier as there was already a huge crowd here. Chowder snuck off to find Farmer and he knew that some of the other players had set up a spot that was now surrounded by others so they decided to not try and pack in with them. They finally found a spot near a slight rise with a good view of the stage, but not too close. There were about fifteen of them total who were sitting with them but this time Bitty was planning to sit next to Jack.

They set up their blankets and coolers and chairs and everyone got comfortable. Jack sat down next to him and Eric smiled shyly at the tall Canadian though he was careful not to touch him openly. This morning had been wonderful as was the shower they had together afterwards. They had almost been caught by Chowder kissing in the kitchen but had been warned in time by his stamping down the stairs when he smelled Bitty cooking.

Everyone was chilling and then the music finally started. There were several bands playing and the music was great. Around 7:30, Lardo and Bitty passed out the food Bitty had made for dinner and it was all easy picnic food with several varieties of mini pies to finish it off. The rest of the group was getting a warm buzz from the beer they had snuck in and sipped over the course of the concert.

It was nearly 11 when the final band finished and they packed up and headed back to the Haus and the dorms. Shitty declared that it was too early to sleep and demanded a Mario Kart tournament. Ransom and Holster wailed as Lardo kept beating them to Shitty’s delight and after two hours of drinking and playing Jack declared he was tired and going to bed. He headed upstairs and gave a quick look to Bitty who smirked and started cleaning up.

He had cleaned for about 10 minutes when Holster came over and dragged him to the couch to play ‘one last game’ with him, Ransom and Lardo. Shitty was nowhere to be seen. The last game extended into ‘one more’ at least twice before Bitty was finally able to escape. Lardo left with him after telling the d-men that they couldn’t beat her sober or drunk, so she was going to bed.

“Where did Shitty go?” Eric asked Lardo remembering he hadn’t seen him for some time.

“He wouldn’t admit it, but he was wiped out. Went to bed not too long after Jack did. He doesn’t want to admit it” she paused but looked at him with a smile “but he really needed this weekend. Harvard is tough” she shrugs.

Eric nods and says goodnight as he reaches his door and Lardo walks past. He opens the door and freezes. “Lardo!” he hisses.

She stops and looks back at him in surprise. Bitty points in his room, his eyes bulging. She walks back and looks in the room and starts to giggle. Jack is asleep in the bed, but he is not alone. Apparently Jack fell asleep waiting for Eric and someone else decided to join him in Bitty's small bed. Lying behind him, spooning up against Jack's back with his arms wrapped around Bitty's boyfriend and hugging him for all he's worth, is Shitty. Passed out and snoring, Shitty is snuggling up to Jack right where Bitty should be.

“Guess you lost your bed huh?” she says sympathetically as she takes in the view of the two bros. Bitty sighs but nods. When Shitty gets all octopus in his sleep, there is no way to untangle him. Walking over to the bed, Lardo pulls the covers up and over the two sleeping men. “Want to crash with me?” she offers.

He nods again but then smirks and pulls out his phone. He quickly takes several pictures of the two of them sleeping like that. He hears Lardo snicker. “I get a copies of those” she tells him.

Eric grabs some sleep shorts and follows her to her room. Shitty really owed him for this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _okay, this chapter took a bit longer than expected, but only one more to go!_


	6. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Okay, I felt we needed a bit more to chapter 5, so this is technically 5B but AO3 doesn't let me do that, so there are now 7 chapters. Got inspired after posting last night!_

Bitty woke up feeling disoriented. He was not in his room and it smelled very different from what he expected and he looked over at the dark hair on the pillow next to him and snorted. Suddenly he remembered last night and finding Shitty in his bed curled up with Jack. Snickering he reached for his phone and it was 8:30 and he had no reason to be awake, but he was and he could tell he wouldn’t be going back to sleep.

Carefully, Bitty slipped out of the bed and quietly slipped out of Lardo’s room and crossed the hallway. He slowly opened his door and looked in and almost laughed. The guys had switched positions and now Shitty was the small spoon and Jack had snuggled up to him with his face near Shitty’s shoulder, both of the sleeping soundly. Bitty took another few pictures on his phone before slipping downstairs to make some coffee.

After his first cup he decided to make some pies for Jack and Shitty to take home with them as well as for the Haus. After finishing the fourth one, he checked the time and found that it was already 10:00 so he decided to make some breakfast foods to see if the aromas would stir everyone up a bit. Jack had to head back today so Bitty wanted to spend at least some time with him and he was honestly surprised that Jack was still asleep.

He was mixing the pancake batter after pulling the first batch of bacon off the stove when he heard Chowder stumble in blinking his eyes looking around for food. Bitty slid the bacon over and got out the orange juice the goalie preferred.

“Good morning” Bitty said happily.

“Morning” Chowder yawned in the middle but smiled. “That smells amazing” he said happily.

Bitty smiled and flipped the pancakes and then put the butter and syrup on the table. He was reaching for the eggs when he suddenly heard screaming coming from upstairs. Jack’s voice.

“MON DIEU SHITTY! Qu'est-ce que tu fais dans mon lit?”* Jack screamed in French and both Bitty and Chowder looked towards the upstairs nervously.

“YOU LOVE ME!” Shitty yelled back. “Why can’t you just admit your love brah? Hold me!” he yelled before they heard a loud thump and Bitty would wager that Jack had just pushed Shitty out of the bed to crash on the floor.

“Lardo!” Shitty yelled “Jack loves me now!” Bitty can hear the laughter in Shitty’s voice and realizes that they must have woken up and Jack, thinking it was Bitty, freaked out when he realized it wasn’t.

At that moment Lardo walked into the kitchen shaking her head and smiling. “I am so not getting up in all of that” she says looking at Bitty.

There is more banging and thumping upstairs and then a door slamming when Ransom stumbles into the kitchen looking around confused. “Why is Jack running into the bathroom in his underwear with Shitty chasing him screaming “Love me?” he asks.

“It’s a Sunday” Lardo replies in a deadpan voice but Bitty sees the smirk on her lips and snorts.

Holster walks in a few minutes later smiling. “Shitty said something about Jack making out with him and ‘Victory’ or something. I didn’t quite get it all” he tells the group as he grabs food and coffee.

Bitty remembers how affectionate Jack is in the morning when they are both sleepy and figures that Jack must have thought Shitty was him and reacted until he realized it wasn’t. At that point Shitty strutted, there was no other word for it, strutted into the kitchen.

Everyone watched as he slid into his seat with a cocky smirk and reached for the coffee. “Well?” Holster finally asked when he didn’t say anything.

“What?” Shitty tried to look innocent but was failing completely as no one was buying it. “Okay, it’s just that Jack finally broke!” he giggled.

“What was he screaming?” Ransom asked. “Pretty sure he was swearing at the beginning.”

“I don’t know, but he did freak out a bit and yell when we woke up” Shitty chortled. At that point the door opened and Jack walked in with a frown on his face when he saw Shitty and everyone looking at him. “GOOD MORNING HONEY!” Shitty yelled at Jack.

Jack sighed heavily and he glared at the laughing man at the table. He looked up and Bitty could see the unhappiness in his look before he grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge. Bitty felt so bad for his boyfriend but he was also trying not to giggle at his predicament.

“DEETS!” Holster and Ransom both yelled at Shitty who looked happy to comply.

Shitty laughed and struck a dramatic pose. “Well, last night I went up to see our boy Jackie and he was already asleep in Bitty’s bed. I felt bad for Bits, ya know? Since I haven’t gotten any real Jack cuddles I climbed in and snuggled for just a second but he sighed happily and grabbed my hand and well, of course I couldn’t leave then. Guess I must have fallen asleep” he says dramatically as everyone snickers.

“You did” Lardo said smirking. “Bitty and I found the two of you spooning happily when we came upstairs.”

Everyone laughed out loud at that one as Jack groaned and Shitty looked like a kid in a candy store.

“So this morning” Shitty began, “I was laying there being cuddled. Just to let you know, our former captain is a great snuggler!” He looks over at Jack who is blushing furiously as everyone ‘awws’ at him. “Then, just as I am starting to wake up I get this tug pulling me back, and I am not gonna lie, it was a great hug when all of a sudden I feel lips on my neck!” he yells excitedly.

Bitty blushes at that thought. Jack had done that to him so many times he lost count and he knew the poor boy was thinking that it was him lying there. Jack was beet red as everyone roared. “You got to second base!” Holster high fived Shitty.

They continued laughing as Shitty told them how all of sudden Jack jerked back and started screaming in French and shoving him so he fell out of the bed. Then he ran off and locked himself in the bathroom. He crowed over finally getting Jack to snuggle him after all the times he had snuggled up to Jack when they had lived together in the Haus but he had never been neck kissed. Chowder was overwhelmed and blushing terribly as they all laughed at Jack and Bitty desperately tried to figure a way to stop the chirping.

“Hey” Ransom suddenly looked calculating. He turned to look at Jack and his eyes narrowed. “Why were you kissing Shitty?”

“Bro, I told you he loves me!” Shitty chuckles as Jack just closes his eyes and groans.

“No, that’s not what I mean” Ransom says getting excited. “Why would he hug and kiss you?”

Holster looks at Rans for a second before his eyes widen and he shrieks! “OH MY GOD!” he yells and spins to look at Jack who is suddenly looking nervous.

“You thought Shits was someone else!” Holster screams. Suddenly everyone is looking at Jack and staring in shock. Bitty freezes in panic as he sees Jack go pale as the blood drains from his face.

“YOU DID!” Shitty yells and jumps up to grab Jack. “You glorious mother fucker! You are seeing someone aren’t you?!”

Everyone is looking surprised as Jack finally nods his head and Shitty roars and hugs his bro. “Who? How long? When? DEETS BRO!” Shitty yells over all the talking.

Jack looks at Bitty for a brief second and sees the panic there and decides to make the best of it that he can. “I’m not saying who, but…since I moved to Providence” Jack admits quietly. 

“ALMOST A YEAR!” Shitty screams as the others all look stunned. “You have been dating someone since you moved to Providence and we haven’t met this person?” Shitty actually looks hurt.

“It’s complicated” Jack tries to say but he gets cut off quickly.

“Complicated? Bro that is bull” Holster says shaking his head sadly. “You are in so much trouble.”

“Guys. It’s just that this is my first year playing, it’s not something that I want the press and media attention to focus on. Not with everything else…” Jack’s voice drifts off for a moment before he looks back up. “I just didn’t want the story to be about anything other than being on the ice.”

Ransom grunts a little in understanding and the others all grumble but he can tell they understand.

“Okay, you are still in trouble for not telling your best bro” Shitty grumbles “but I guess I understand. A little. Is it serious?”

Jack’s smile is warm and glowing as they watch his face transform into what can only be described as "goofy in love" and he nods “Oui, most definitely” he says simply.

“Looks like Jack’s in love” Lardo murmurs gently and Jack nods in agreement which causes Shitty to pull Jack into a giant hug and is quickly joined by Ransom and Holster as they hug their congratulations.

Bitty is watching as he feels a gentle touch on his arm and he looks over and sees a soft look on Lardo's face as she looks at him. “You okay?” she whispers and he nods with a smile.

“So when do we get to meet this person?” Shitty finally demands.

Jack pauses. He and Bitty hadn’t talked about it too much. They had mentioned telling the team, at least some of them, but they weren’t sure they were totally ready, but with Ransom, Holster, and Lardo all graduating next month, it might be okay. He glances over at Bitty nervously when he saw the blonde smile.

“Maybe” Bitty offered slowly “everyone could meet officially at Graduation?” he offered carefully and saw Jack’s smile of gratitude.

“I think that would work” Jack said slowly.

“DONE!” Shitty yelled. “No take backs. We get to meet the person putting that smile on your face at Graduation!”

Everyone laughed and sat done to finish breakfast. The others didn’t stop chirping Jack and Bitty got another sympathetic hug from Shitty and a look that said he was worried about how he was dealing with it before he left but Bitty just waved him off. Bitty went to bed that night with a smile knowing that everyone was going to find out soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _BON DIEU SHITTY! - Oh my god Shitty!_
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> _Qu'est-ce que tu fais dans mon lit?” - What the hell are you doing in my bed?_
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> _Translations from google translate so sorry if they are not accurate!_


	7. No Pie for You!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Okay, I confess. Sometimes stories get away from me. I really planned this to be a simple 6 chapter piece. 5 chapters of them almost getting caught and 1 chapter for the reveal. Then I wasn't happy with how chapter 5 ended and needed to add another chapter to finish it off. Then when I started writing the final chapter, I thought "what about Bitty?" Jack's been found out, how come Bitty hasn't? And that led to this chapter. I was looking at Ngozi's Year one book (LOVE IT!) and the bonus strip of Bitty's first winter screw that it contained (recounted here directly from there so that part is actually Canon!). I also figured that R &H would keep trying with similar results and here we are._
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> _I was just going to keep going and post a super chapter, but once I hit 7,500 words I figured I would go ahead and post since I hit a natural break in the story and then work on the rest._
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> _So Graduation has been moved back another chapter. I might have to buy a spoon to use on myself if I don't focus on the ending! But I think this is it and the reveal is all that is left. I hope no one is too upset with the delay! G-_

It seemed that the days were flying by since Spring C and Bitty was getting more and more nervous about the ‘Big Reveal’. That’s what he had started calling the plan to tell the team about him and Jack. They had discussed what to say to everyone but they hadn’t exactly figured it out yet. Jack just wanted to blurt it out but Bitty was worried about how everyone would feel about them not only dating all year but that they hadn’t told anyone. He felt that they needed to explain more first.

The other thing that was getting to Bitty, and seriously he was contemplating inflicting bodily harm about it, was that next week was going to be the official last Kegster of the year according to Ransom and Holster. Bitty wasn’t sure there would not be a spontaneous one but the boys were going on and on about it like it was more important than graduation. Personally he felt that it was more to distract them from graduating. Ever since Ransom had gotten accepted into medical school, his stress levels had been significantly reduced. 

And even that wouldn’t be too bad if it wasn’t for one little problem…Ransom and Holster were bound and determined to set Bitty up with someone. It seemed that three years of trying, failing utterly he would mention, hadn’t managed to dissuade them nor had Bitty’s strident pleas to stop. He still remembered that first Winter Screw with a shudder. Not only was it a blind date, Bitty only met him at the dance with his clue being that he had to wear a red nose and antlers to find his match. He finally found a guy wearing the Santa hat and beard. Bitty frowned. What was his name? Don? Tom? Ron? Wow, didn’t think he would have forgotten that already. 

It wasn’t too bad at the beginning, but something about the guy was just off. He seemed more interested in talking with his friends than Bitty to be honest and Bitty had quickly picked up on the fact that the guy was pretty shwasted. Bitty got elbowed on the dance floor by the guy, he spilled his drink on Bitty’s jacket, then ignored him for a bit, and then to make things perfect? The guy threw up on his shoes and then ditched him. Jack had found him sitting outside the dance shivering because he hadn’t brought a coat to wear over his suit. Jack had then walked him back to his dorms because Jack’s date had an early game the next day.

Bitty smiled as he thought back to that night. He and Jack had discussed it one night after they got together and laughed. Jack had liked dating Camilla Collins because they were both serious athletes as she was captain of the women’s tennis team at Samwell. The fact that Jack never pressured her for more than a nice evening, behaving as a perfect gentleman, made it easy for them to help each other out. Bitty had smiled when Jack told him that she had come out with her girlfriend right after she graduated.

There had been four other attempts by the two co-captains in the three years Bitty had been at Samwell, though technically they were during his first two years because he had avoided them this whole year. Each one was a disaster of near biblical proportions. Bitty was glad they were so bad because now that he was with Jack, the idea of anyone else seems impossible to him. But he couldn’t tell them that so they were determined to ‘make it up to him’ by finding him someone. 

“Bitty! We found the perfect guy” Ransom gushed as he came into the kitchen with his laptop and sat down. “Now, I have been looking at all of our previous guys and what you like and we think this guy is it. He is smart, athletic, likes home cooking, and is pre-vet so he is good with animals. And if I do say so myself, he is a good looking dude.” Ransom smiled happily as he looked at the southern baker who was moving around the kitchen working on his pie.

“No” Bitty said simply without turning around and kept working.

Ransom was expecting that reaction, but he really thought he would get something more, some kind of elaboration, but Bitty didn’t say anything else. “Bitty, you can’t ignore the spreadsheet” he pleaded. “This guy could be the one. Bro you haven’t gotten lucky in how long?” he said with a smirk.

Bitty looked at Ransom and raised a single eyebrow and smirked before turning back to his pie.

“Bitty?” Ransom said suddenly sounding uncertain. “Bitty are you getting some? Bro!” he jumps up and is reaching for the blonde when he sees it coming. Jumping back he avoids the snap of Bitty’s wooden spoon. That damn spoon! He remembers the first time he and Holster had tried to sneak some of Bitty’s food before it was ready and that spoon had moved like lighting, smacking the back of his hand with a sound that rang through the kitchen like a gunshot. As fast as the Georgia boy was on the ice, it was nothing compared to his speed with that spoon. Both he and Holster had felt the sting of that damn thing more than once. He felt it was monumentally unfair that Chowder never had even once.

“HEY!” he screeched as he jumped back. 

“Justin” Bitty said, his voice dangerously sweet and slow. “Let’s examine this critically. How would you evaluate your previous efforts hmmm? How has it gone with the other guys you tried to set me up with?”

Ransom stammered for a second before replying “Okay, maybe up till now things may not have gone perfectly…” he started.

“Perfectly?” Bitty interrupted with a snort. “Let’s recount shall we?” he asked with an arched eyebrow and Ransom suddenly looked sick. “There were five attempts. Of the five; two threw up on my shoes, one got drunk and made out with his roommate ignoring both me and the other boy’s date despite the fact that she was perfectly nice lady. She was surprised like nothing else that her boyfriend of three months was French kissing his roommate at the party, but she was sweet. I ended up having to go out with her for coffee for nearly three weeks as she cried about it.” Ransom was squirming in his seat like he wanted to protest but couldn’t.

“Then there was Evan…nice guy Evan” Bitty smiled as he looked at Ransom who buried his face in his hands. “Evan who on our first date proceeded to lecture me about the evil of gluten, meat, and all forms of cooking. He only ate raw fruits and vegetables and considered all other food to be…wait, what were his exact words?” Bitty tapped his finger on his chin looking like he was trying to remember. “Oh yes, ‘unnatural, unnecessary, and how people ruined good food’. When I told him that I baked, he proceeded to give me a twenty minute lecture on why all bread products, including pies, were worthless and I was wasting my time. Such a good pick that one” he said with a snort.

“Okay, maybe they were some mistakes” Ransom tried to say when Bitty cut him off again.

“Oh…and saving the best for last…we have Steve…remember Steve?” he asked sweetly and Ransom groaned. “Steve the swimmer. ‘The perfect guy’ since he was an athlete so it should be ‘perfect’. Such a perfect guy for me you said, remember? And do you remember what he said?” suddenly Eric’s voice was strained. “WELL, do you?”

“He said Beyonce was…” Ransom froze because he did not want to see that reaction again. He looked up but Bitty was glaring. He sighed and took a deep breath. “Overrated” he whispered, clearly afraid.

“He said she was…overrated” Eric’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard and Ransom shuddered remembering the blonde’s reaction when Steve went on to tell him why she was overrated. Bitty had froze in disbelief and then when Steve got to the point where he was saying that if you wanted to like a real talent, then you should love Miranda Lambert, all hell broke loose. It took both Ransom and Holster to get Bitty back to his room while the others got rid of Steve. That had been a dark time for the Haus. Bitty refused to bake for nearly an entire week until Shitty and Jack and forced Ransom and Holster to swear off setting Bitty up. A pledge which held until now.

“So, looking at your spreadsheet let’s see what it tells us. If you have five opportunities to find someone for a friend and all five are horrible, terrible, catastrophic nightmares…what are the odds that you got this one right?” he said with a patient look.

Ransom looked sheepish “That…maybe we are due?” he offered lamely.

Bitty stared at the senior and sighed. “No Justin. And tell Adam no as well. You two are not setting me up and that is final.” He smiled and moved back to his pie. “Now, I just got some fresh peaches from home that was planning to make into a peach pie” he said with a soft tone. “Think everyone would like that?” he asked.

Ransom nodded and closed his laptop. He was not about to screw up getting a fresh peach pie for anything. He would talk to Holster later about the guy.

* * *

 

Neither Ransom nor Holster brought up the date thing again and Bitty finally relaxed. He pulled out his current batch of cookies from the oven before picking his phone back up. “I’m sorry you are going to miss the party Jack” he says only halfway serious. He wouldn’t mind missing it himself, even though it is ‘the last kegster’ for the seniors, but Jack is currently in Texas for a game and wouldn’t be back for another three days.

“I’m not” Jack sighs. “Besides the fact that I am sure that Rans and Holtzy are going to go overboard at this thing, it seems every time I talk with anyone they are trying to get information about my ‘significant other’ and how we met” Jack sighs. “Any why do they keep saying ‘significant other’?” he asks.

“Oh that. Well Ransom, Holster, and Chowder were all talking about who they thought your girlfriend was when Shitty was visiting. I think you were in Chicago that weekend” Bitty mused. “Anyway, Shitty then proceeded to lecture them about their heteronormative assumptions that you were dating a girl” Bitty laughed.

“What?” Jack’s voice was nervous.

“It’s okay baby” Bitty quickly reassured him. “They all jumped on that and asked what he knew. Bitty told them he was completely clueless but went on a tirade about them and their privileged positions and assumptions which led to a longer discussion about why they made that assumption. Holster tried to argue that you had dated Camilla and Shitty wasn’t having any of that. He then went on to lecture for what must have been at least an hour long lecture about gender identity, sexual orientation spectrum, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Basically it was to argue that dating Camilla didn’t define your sexuality and to assume so was wrong. To be honest I was in the kitchen for most of it, but the guys all seemed to be into it.”

Jack snickered picturing the scene Bitty was describing. “So that’s how they came up with significant other?” he asked.

“That was what they felt was the least offensive, most inclusive term until you chose, or not, to clarify further” Bitty smiled and laughed softly. 

“Well I guess that’s okay” Jack mumbled.

“Ya” Eric muttered absently. “Shitty wasn’t really talking about you specifically, but about making assumptions about anyone. You know I think he was worked up mostly because he hasn’t got to use his studies as an undergrad at law school yet so this was a return to his true love” Bitty snickered.

“So has he defined himself and Lardo?” Jack asked with a snort.

“Oh lord no!” Bitty laughed at that. “The two of them are still dancing around each other like two roosters in a hen house.” He sighs remembering the last time Shitty was here and how Lardo acted after he left. “But they both got it bad for each other” he sighed. “I think now that Lardo is graduating they may finally be ready to deal with it. I would bet even money she moves to Boston and they try living together after graduation.”

Jack smiles and agrees. “Hey, I have to run. I have a meeting with Georgia in a bit that I need to head out for” Jack says and pauses at the silence the follows.

“Is everything okay?” Bitty finally asks. He doesn’t mean to worry but usually a meeting with Georgia is about something serious.

“Everything’s fine” Jack pauses for long enough that Eric starts to worry. “I’m telling her about us” he finally says.

Eric freezes for a moment before swallowing. “Are you sure?” he says carefully. He wants to be supportive but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried.

“Yes. I talked with my parents about it and while I don’t plan to come out immediately, I felt it would be better to ease into things. I will tell Georgia so that management knows and can prepare. And to be honest, I am getting tired of the ‘plus one’ invites that I keep getting and having to make excuses for. Georgia knowing will put an end to all of that” Jack says with a heavy sigh.

“Okay” Bitty whispers.

“I was also thinking about telling one or two guys on the team, maybe Tater, after the playoffs are over, if you are okay with that? Maybe the rest of the team next fall?” he offers tentatively.

Eric is quiet but Jack can hear the quiet sniffles he is trying to hold back. “Are you sure Jack? I don’t want to hurt your career and I understand…” he tries to say but Jack stops him.

“I’m sure Eric” Jack’s voice is strong and clear. “I never planned to keep us a secret forever and I think I’ve proved myself this year so at least with my team, it shouldn’t matter. And if it does, well, as long as we play well, I can do without the rest if it means I finally get to be with you without having to dance around things” Jack says simply.

Bitty is crying but they are happy tears when all of sudden he gasps. “Oh damn!” he curses causing Jack to startle. “Guess this means I need to tell my parents, huh?” he says in resignation.

Jack chuckles. “You don’t have to if you don’t want Eric” Jack assures him. “We don’t have to be ‘out’ till you are ready.”

Bitty takes a deep breath and shakes himself out. “No…I’m ready. We are going to Madison for the Fourth to visit, so we can tell them then” he says standing up straight and he actually feels better knowing he has a plan. He had already told his parents that Jack was letting him stay at his place for the summer to work in Providence and prepare for the upcoming year. Bitty had still been overwhelmed when he received the “C” at their banquet, which was a HUGE surprise to him. The bigger surprise that had made him cry was that apparently he was now the second captain to get a unanimous vote from the team. He knew his mama was proud and Coach was so happy when he told them. Then he had told them that Jack was willing to work with him and prepare for the year ahead. Coach was totally supportive and thought it would be great for him and although mama was sad, she did understand, but she had made him promise to visit.

Bitty and Jack talked for a bit more but then Jack left for his meeting and Bitty, finished in the kitchen, headed to his room to lay down before the party. He was going to dinner with Lardo, Nursey, and Dex to the diner near campus so he had about three hours to go.

* * *

 

Bitty walked back up to the Haus with Lardo as Nursey and Dex walked ahead of them. They had a great meal though Bitty knew his food was better, but trying to cook dinner tonight would have been next to impossible. The Diner was a good compromise because it was one of the only places that everyone could agree on. The last time he had gone out to eat with Dex, Nursey, and Chowder had been a nightmare arguing over where to go and what happened in the end? They went to the Diner. So it was much easier to just start with that. 

They still had another hour before people were supposed to show up so Bitty checked out his supplies and decided to make another batch of cheese straws for snacking. By the time he was done and cleaned up people were drifting into the Haus.

He wandered around with a red solo cup, filled with water because he wanted to go easy tonight, and enjoyed talking to friends and people when the music shifted and “Partition” came on. Bitty yelled in delight and seeing Lardo, dragged her out to the improvised dance floor to dance with him. Bitty lost himself in the music and loved seeing the laughter coming from Lardo. When they finished dancing they headed out to the front porch to get some air. 

Lardo came out and handed Bitty a beer which he took because he could have one and they were sitting there fanning themselves when he heard a voice behind him.

“You are a great dancer” the man said. Bitty turned around and saw the guy, tall with black hair and green eyes. He looked like an athlete and to be fair, he had a great smile.

“Thank you” Bitty said with a slight flush. 

“My name’s Tyler” the guy said extending his hand first to Bitty and then to Lardo.

“Haven’t seen you here before” Lardo said looking at the guy critically.

“My first time here actually. Justin invited me. We have organic chemistry together” he explained. It took a second for Bitty and Lardo to realize he meant Ransom but they nodded politely anyway.

“Are you pre-med too?” Bitty asked curiously.

“No, pre-vet actually” he said smiling. “My dad is a vet and so I grew up helping out in his clinic.” Tyler looked at Bitty and smiled a little. “Justin said you were his teammate on the hockey team, said you were the fastest player on the team” he smiled.

“Well” Bitty blushed a bit at the praise. “I do love skating. Have you ever played?” Bitty saw Ransom look out of the door like he was looking for someone but he dashed right back in before he could say anything.

“Me? No” Tyler laughed recapturing Bitty’s attention. “I have tried to ice skate but I fall down…like a lot. I prefer baseball actually. I play second base for the Samwell team” he says with a smile.

“Brah!” Lardo says respectfully. This year’s team was doing really well.

The three of them talked for a while when Bitty noticed Holster stick his head out to look at them before ducking back inside. He shook his head but then as they talked he spotted both of them doing it again. The third time it happened Bitty frowned and looked at Lardo. “Do you know what’s going on with those boys?” he asked her with a sigh. Bitty could tell she had noticed them as well.

“No” she replied standing up, “but I’m going to find out.”

Bitty and Tyler stood up and they followed behind her as they walked in to the Haus, but Ransom and Holster had disappeared. 

Dex and Nursey were standing there talking to Caitlin, no sign of Chowder, when Bitty walked up to them with Tyler. Lardo had gone off in another direction. “Boys, do you know where Ransom and Holster are? They are acting strangely” Bitty asked them.

Caitlin and Dex shook their heads but Bitty saw something in Nursey’s reaction that caught his attention. “Nursey?” he asked.

“No Bits, I don’t know” he said clearing his throat. Bitty’s eyes narrowed. He knew something! “Derek Malik Nurse” he said slowly causing Dex, Caitlin, and Tyler to all look at him in surprise. Derek blanched and stepped back.

“Bits” he stammered but he was cut off.

“What’s going on? What do you know?” he was staring intently at the d-man when he saw it. Derek’s eyes flicked to Bitty’s left and back with a slight panic. Bitty looked over and saw Tyler standing there looking confused.

Why would Tyler make Derek…Bitty froze. Pre-vet. Athletic. Smart. He had even asked if Bitty was the one who made the food and complimented him on a mini pie. Bitty closed his eyes and ground his teeth. He was going to kill them.

Taking a deep breath he turned towards Tyler with a tight smile. “Tyler” he said slowly and gently.

“Yes?” Tyler looked genuinely confused.

“When Justin invited you to the party, did he say anything else?” he asked. He saw Derek flinch and he knew he was right. Dex and Caitlin looked confused.

Tyler looked embarrassed. “Umm…well sorta?” Tyler said sheepishly. Bitty waited. “Justin did talk about you and what a great guy you were. Really talked you up” he said trying to make it sound like a good thing.

Bitty closed his eyes and counted to ten. “Tyler I am so sorry about this” Bitty said gently. “But Justin is an idiot.” Dex and Caitlin both looked stunned and Derek paled. “Did he happen to mention that I had a boyfriend already?” Eric asked gently. Caitlin, Dex, and Derek all gasped. 

Tyler now looked shocked. “Uh…no” Tyler stammered. “Oh god, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit on you if…” he looked totally embarrassed.

“Tyler you are fine, I promise” Bitty said sincerely. “I told the boys I didn’t want a date but they refused to listen to me, it’s not your fault. You are a perfectly sweet boy and I know this isn’t your fault. Them however, they are guilty of this and I will make sure that they pay the price for that, but you have been a perfect gentleman all evening, I promise” he smiled at the taller man who looked a bit less sick. “Dex” Bitty turned to the redhead, “would you and Caitlin take Tyler to get a drink and maybe some more food? Hopefully you can still have some fun tonight” he told him with a sympathetic smile.

Dex nodded and he turned to go along with Tyler, Caitlin, and Nursey when Bitty’s voice froze him. Bitty’s voice was like ice and Derek jerked in terror when he heard it. “Derek…you stay” he said which caused Caitlin and Tyler to flee and Dex to look back worried but then he decided he really didn’t want to be here for this and turned to run. Derek looked after the redhead with a betrayed look but then he turned back to Bitty.

Eric just stood there, not saying a word.

Derek tried to hold out but he broke in seconds and started babbling. “Bitty I swear I didn’t have anything to do with this. It was totally Rans and Holtzy” Derek swore. “I only found out yesterday and I told them they shouldn’t do it. They said it wasn’t a real set up so it didn’t count” he confessed and the whole scheme poured out. How they had been talking Bitty up to Tyler and invited him but told him he was shy and so it was up to him to make a good impression. By the time he got to the end, Derek was definitely ‘unchill’.

“Go” Bitty said with a deadly voice. Derek fled. Bitty went up to his room, shut and locked his doors, and crawled into bed. He looked at his phone and thought about calling Jack but decided to handle this his own way.

* * *

 

Sunday morning came and Ransom and Holster came downstairs just after noon looking around carefully. They had ducked out when Bitty and Tyler came in the Haus and hadn’t seen Bitty for the rest of the night. Dex and Nursey left early and all Caitlin would say was that Nursey wasn’t feeling very good. Ransom tried to find Tyler but he had also left and the boys wondered if maybe Bitty and Tyler went back to Tyler’s room. He and Holster were congratulating themselves on that when Lardo cornered them to find out what was going on. They both played innocent and managed to avoid her attempts after that fairly well.

Walking down the stairs something definitely felt off. First of all the Haus was a pig sty. It was totally trashed. Sure they had a party, but for the last few years, even when they had a party, it never looked this bad. Guess this means that it was a success.

Stepping into the kitchen the boys gasped. It was trashed. There were empty cups and bottles and trash in there and no sign of Eric. No coffee made. No food. The party had wiped out everything in the fridge and they were both starving.

“We better clean this up before Bitty sees it or he will lose it” Holster mutters. At that time Lardo walked in, dressed and looking good, and looked around in shock.

“Don’t worry” Ransom assured her. “We will get it cleaned before Bitty gets home” he said quickly. 

“Bros” Lardo said looked seriously concerned. “I saw Bitty this morning after he took a shower. He said he was going to study at the library” she said looking around.

“Wait, you mean he was here last night” Holster said confused. “And he left this morning with the Haus…” his voice trailed off. Bitty didn’t let his kitchen get messed up and usually was helping clean up after parties without ever being asked. 

“Bro” Holster said slowly. “Bitty didn’t help clean up? He left his kitchen looking like this? He didn’t make anything to eat? Something’s seriously wrong.”

Ransom shook his head trying to figure it out but nothing made sense. Lardo said she had a meeting with a study group so she headed out. The boys spent the next two hours cleaning up, Chowder joining them after coming back from a late breakfast with Caitlin. They finally got the Haus and kitchen back to normal though the fridge was looking pretty bare. The last the time there was no pie…Ransom shook his head nervously. No. Don’t even think about that.

* * *

 

By Wednesday it was clear that the world was ending. Bitty was nearly invisible to Ransom and Holster. Everyone else had seen him except for them. He was always ‘studying’ or working on homework or something, but the fact was clear, he was avoiding the two d-men. Worse, the rest of the team had pretty much started to avoid them as if they were contaminated.

Monday after classes, they had come back to the Haus and were shocked by Bitty’s absence and the strange smell of the place. No baked goods, confirmed by Lardo and Chowder. The kitchen remained bare and Bitty was ‘out’. Their teammates who had swung by for snacks were disappointed but it didn’t seem like a big deal.

Tuesday, still no baking. People were starting to talk. Then it came out. Dex and Nursey admitted that Bitty had not only figured out what had happened, but that Nursey had sold Ransom and Holster out in a New York second. Bitty knew what they did. And so did the rest of the team. Ollie and Wicks had mentioned going out to eat with Bitty on Tuesday and that he seemed fine, but no baking.

Wednesday marked the second longest period of time without pie and that time was also the co-captains fault. The rest of the team was getting angry at them because they had gotten used to Bitty’s baking and with him on strike right before finals, the team was a bubbling mess.

“Bro” Ransom walked into the attic and tossed his bag on the floor and looked at his blonde roommate. “We are so dead.”

Holster looked up but didn’t argue. “What happened?” he asked dejectedly.

“Lardo asked if maybe we wanted to talk about buying food for the graduation party” he said dropping down to his bed. 

“But…but Bitty cooks…” Holster looked at his roommate and groaned. “Dude we totally screwed up. But he won’t even let us apologize. I have gone to his room dozens of times and tried to call and text him and nothing. He is acting like we don’t exist. I saw Lardo text him not 30 seconds after I did and he responded to her instantly so I know he got my message. If we don’t fix this soon, the rest of the team are going to kill us.”

Ransom nodded in agreement. “So what do we do?” he finally asked.

“There’s only one option dude and you know what it is” Holster said quietly and Ransom wailed in reply.

“Bro we can’t! He would totally kill us” he complained.

“Bro I know, but the rest of the team is on his side. No one is going to help us on this one so we need to bring the big guns. We need Jack” Holster said sadly.

* * *

 

Jack walked from his bedroom to the kitchen to start on dinner. He had gotten back to Providence a few hours ago and he was exhausted. He pulled out some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and vegetables to make a quick dinner when someone knocked on his door.

Thinking it must be one of the guys he wondered why and opened the door only to be surprised to see Ransom and Holster standing there looking guilty as hell. “Guys?” Jack asked nervously.

“Hey Jack” Holster said with a rather weak smile. He looked over at Ransom who was looking terrible and then turned back to Jack. “Bro, things are totally messed up and we need your help” he begged.

Jack sighed and waved them in to the apartment. He knew something was going on at the Haus. Bitty had been off since Sunday when they talked but everytime Jack had tried to ask him about it he just responded with that he was ‘handling it’ and changed the subject.

Jack had finally shot a text to Shitty this morning asking if had heard anything but he hadn’t heard back yet. The two seniors sat on the couch looking more like two school kids sent to the principal’s office instead of two men about to graduate from college. Jack sighed. “What did you do?”

The fact that neither of them tried to deny it confirmed that they were responsible for it for Jack. He waited until they finally started talking. At first he freaked out a bit on the inside, never letting it show, as they told him about this guy they found and how they tried to get Bitty to go out with him. Then how Bitty had refused and that they still brought him to the party but definitely not ‘as a date’ but just a cool guy.

“And what did you tell the guy?” Jack asked tonelessly.

“Just that Bitty was kinda shy and that he didn’t want to be set up” Ransom admitted before plunging on “but that he was gun shy from some bad dates but was a catch” he added.

Jack just shook his head as they tried to defend themselves. “Then we found out that when Bitty figured it out at the party, he told the guy that he had a boyfriend” Ransom complained sounding offended.

“He does” Jack said simply. Both of them looked stunned.

“Wait! He really does? I thought he was just making that up!” Ransom yelled while Holster looked even worse. “How do you know?” he asked feeling betrayed.

“It’s complicated, but the long and short of it is that Bitty decided it wasn’t the time to tell everyone yet but we have talked about it. In fact ever since it started” Jack added with a smirk.

“And when was that?” Holster asked feeling bad for a number of reasons.

“Well, not to break his confidence” Jack paused and they both agreed. “It started at the end of spring last year but didn’t become official till summer” he told them.

Both of them fell back into the couch looking crushed. “Why wouldn’t he tell us?” Holster asked sadness clear in his voice.

Jack sighed deeply. “The guy, he isn’t really out to anyone” he told them with another sigh. “Bitty understood that, I mean he isn’t out to his family either, so Bitty and the guy talked and decided to keep it just between them till they were ready. I know he feels bad that he hasn’t been able to talk with everyone and be open and proud as he would like, but he hoped that as his friends, you guys would understand and respect his decisions” Jack finished.

Both of the guys looked at each other and felt even worse. “But we would have understood” Ransom muttered.

“Really?” Jack snorted. “You mean you wouldn’t badger him mercilessly for details, try and follow him or spy on him, or pressure to bring the guy to stuff?” Jack looked at them knowingly. “Maybe call him constantly trying to get hints and clues about the person he is dating” Jack raised an eyebrow and they both flushed when they realized that was exactly what they had been doing to Jack.

“Shit!” Holster buried his face in his hands. “How do we fix this Jack? Bitty is AWOL from the Haus, no baking or food or anything!” he wailed. “I have to admit I am getting scared for my life from the team if we don’t do something they are going to kill us as a sacrifice to assuage Bitty’s anger!”

Jack looked at Holster and snorted.

“Assuage his anger?” Ransom looked at his roommate. “Dude you have to stop watching Game of Thrones!”

“You know what I meant!” Holster yelled back.

“Guys!” Jack tried to interrupt them.

“Jack you don’t understand. The Haus is barren. I think the only things in the kitchen are siracha, beer, some protein shakes, and leftover condiments from the party. We are dying and he won’t even let us apologize! We tried, I swear! Text, phone messages, notes under the door, nothing works” Holster complained.

Jack leaned back and smiled. “There you go. That’s how you apologize” he said simply.

They both looked at each other confused. “I don’t get it” Ransom asked confused.

“Go shopping” Jack said simply.

“Go shopping? Jack how is picking up groceries at the murder Stop and Shop going to help?” Ransom complained.

“That? It won’t. Go to a real store and buy real things. Things Bitty can’t resist. Best of the best. Stock his fridge and cabinets with stuff that shows you not only realize you were wrong, but you know what’s important to him. Something new for his kitchen wouldn’t hurt either. Go to that giant place in Boston and ask for help and they will load you up” Jack suggested. 

Both of them looked at each other and nodded. This was not going to be cheap, they would have to pay through the nose but they realized Jack was right. If the Haus kitchen was filled with ingredients, Bitty wouldn’t be able to resist and then they could apologize officially.

They thanked Jack and ran out to get there before closing. Jack smiled as they left and sat on the couch and picked up his phone and dialed his boyfriend.

“Hi honey!” Bitty answered and Jack could hear both the happiness and the stress in his voice.

“Hi Bits…how are you doing?” he asked gently.

Bitty sighed. “Jack…” he paused. “I told you everything is under control” he finally said.

“Ransom and Holster just left my place” Jack said softly.

He heard the sudden gasp of air. “Jack…” Bitty’s voice held a trace of that false sweetness that he heard when Bitty mentioned Parse one time that he thought Jack hadn’t noticed.

“They were here to confess and beg my help to fix things” Jack added.

Bitty was quiet for some time, but Jack just waited. “So what did you tell them?” Bitty finally asks.

“Well, I told them I knew you had a boyfriend since the end of spring semester last year. That he wasn’t out yet and that you were so wonderful and amazing that you were willing to keep it all under wraps and not tell anyone. How you knew that they would understand and respect that and wouldn’t hound you like they were doing me” Jack chuckled a bit at that one and heard Bitty’s snort.

“I also gave them a suggestion on how to apologize to you” he admitted.

“Oh really. And what was that?” Bitty sounded interested. 

“Uh-unh. Let’s see how they do first and if it works. If it doesn’t I can say I told them something else” Jack chirped.

Bitty laughed. “Jack!” He paused for a few more seconds. “Do they really get it?” he asks softly.

“I think so Bits. I mean they were trying, in their own way, to be a good friend to you. If I hadn’t made us hide our relationship, this would never have happened so…” he paused.

“Jack you are not taking the blame on this one” Bitty said quickly. He sighed. “But maybe I made my point and I can ease up…a little” he says.

“Wait till tomorrow” Jack laughs.

They talk a bit more before Jack has to go make dinner and Eric gets back to his work. He will admit that one benefit from his cold shouldering of the boys, he has gotten fully caught up on all his coursework! He decides to turn in tomorrow and maybe he will go shopping after class tomorrow.

* * *

 

Bitty woke up early and headed downstairs to make his list for shopping. He had taken his shower and since he hadn’t been in the kitchen since Saturday, he figured things were bad. His first surprise was the fact that the kitchen was spotless. It had been scrubbed clean on every surface and then Bitty’s eyes caught the fresh flowers sitting on the table. He was happy to see them and then saw the card with his name on it. Opening the card he read it quickly.

 _Bits –_  
_We are so sorry and solemnly swear to stay out of your love life unless invited. We hope that you can accept our apology. We are willing to accept a permanent ban on your cooking if you want, but please don’t make the others pay. We know you love to bake so you can do so again and we will stay out._  
_Justin & Adam_

Bitty sniffed a bit at that. He smiled and appreciated the offer. He gasped in shock when he opened the fridge and was overwhelmed. He was expecting an empty box or take out at best, but instead it was packed with fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and cream, and dear lord, the butter. It wasn’t the ordinary butter from the Stop and Shop, it was premium, high end butter that made him twitch. Turning to the cabinets and pantry he found all of his supplies were replenished including all his flours, fresh nuts, good chocolate, and jars of spices included fresh Madagascar vanilla beans. Bitty swooned. He was better stoked than he had been all year.

Okay, as apologies go, this was a good one. He laughed when he realized that this must have been Jack’s idea. Looking at his phone he knew he didn’t have time to do any baking yet. But when he got home, look out!

* * *

 

Ransom and Holster were walking up the sidewalk towards the Haus when it hit them. It had been so long that they almost didn’t recognize it but there it was. Cinnamon. Apples. Strawberries. Those amazing scents that had become synonymous with the Haus for the last three years but had been gone all week were back.

They looked at each other and smiled. Rushing forward they had almost made it to the door when it opened and Lardo and Chowder were standing there, not moving. “Uh guys?” Ransom asked looking at them nervously. 

“Did you apologize? Because if not, you are not going to mess this up” Lardo says seriously as she looks at them. They both shuffle under her gaze. 

“We hope so” Holster tells her carefully.

“The word is out to the team that Bitty is baking again. Mess that up and I can’t guarantee your safety” she warns them as she and Chowder head back inside.

They both walked slowly into the kitchen and saw Bitty in there working. Every counter space was filled with food, either freshly baked or in progress, and the baker was moving around happily. The smells in the kitchen were overpowering and made both of them waver. Their mouths were watering but they didn’t dare make a move. “Bitty?” Ransom said gently.

Bitty stopped moving for a second. He tensed but then relaxed and continued working on the pie in front of him. “Yes?” he said after a minute. There was no emotion in the word, neither good nor bad, just the word.

“Bitty we really are sorry” Holster said sincerely.

“For?” he asked carefully.

They looked at each other nervously. “For inviting Tyler to the party” Ransom answered.

“Try again” Bitty said turning around and looking at them. They both suddenly wished he hadn’t. The look of absolute disappointment on his face directed towards them was painful.

After another silent exchange Holster answered “For setting you up without your knowledge.”

Eric sighed. “Strike two” he told them.

They both swallowed nervously and looked desperate. Finally Holster took a deep breath “Because we didn’t listen to you. We didn’t respect your wishes and were more concerned about what we wanted than what you did” he said dejectedly.

Eric nodded finally. “Boys, you know I love you both and I know you love me too but just because you love someone doesn’t give you the right to run them over with what you want and ignore their feelings” he tells them. “It wasn’t that Tyler wasn’t a nice guy, he was. But I was totally not interested and you disregarded what I told you directly.”

“We get it Bits and we are sorry. We were just trying to make it up to you for all the bad dates we had set you up with” Ransom explained.

Eric smiled. “Those ‘bad dates’ were ultimately good boys. They got me to where I am now and that is a very, very good place. So you were fine…till you did this.”

They both nodded and Bitty smiled at the poor looks on their faces. “I’m not going to cut you both off, though I probably should” he said when the both looked up hopefully. “But if you EVER try something like this again…” his voice trails off as they both emphatically swear that they won’t.

Bitty nods and goes back to his pie. “Dinner is in an hour” he tells them. “You can tell the others you are out of the doghouse” he chuckles.

“Uh Bits” Holster sounds nervous as Bitty looks back at him. “Jack told us you had a boyfriend and we just want to say that that is great and that if you need anything, we will be there for you.” Ransom is nodding in agreement. “And we won’t pressure you about him, we promise.”

“Thank you for that” Bitty says with a smile. “When he is ready, then I will introduce him to everyone, but I appreciate you understanding that we are waiting.

They both nod and scuttle out of the kitchen. They walk into the living room where they see about half the team in the room looking at them. Lardo raises an eyebrow in question. “Bitty said to tell everyone we are out of the dog house” Holster tells them.

The wave of relief that goes through the team is palpable. Everyone seems to relax and starts smiling.

“Dudes that is so good” Ollie says looking at the co-captains. “Things were going to get really ugly if we had to face finals with no baking.” The others all nod and they laugh. Dinner is great with the team but the best part is the absolute ton of pies, cakes, and cookies that Bitty has been making all afternoon. All is right again with the world!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Bitty. I have read several fics where we get to see his strong side and I liked the idea that while he is gentle, sweet, and easy going with 99% of things, if you mess with family, he goes psycho southern. Since his relationship with Jack now falls under that, he will fight for it like the honeybadger (points if you get this!). But he wouldn't be confrontational, he would be passive-aggressive, but immovable. The guys would have preferred Bitty yelling at them but his actions were SO much worse. I like BItty and Jack both being more centered and self-confident as a result of being together because they get to see themselves how each other sees them and that builds them up. Hope you enjoyed it!_


	8. Everyone Finds Out!

'Well it was finally here' Bitty thought with a deep sigh. He flexed his shoulders as he pushed the rolling pin along the counter pressing the dough out a little bit more. He was working on an apple blackberry pie with a coconut crumb crust for Lardo. The last two days had been a blur for Bitty. Luckily he had finished his last final yesterday so he had two full days before Graduation to do all his cooking for the party. It was going to be a huge event.

Not only was Jack and Shitty coming back, but Lardo’s parents and sister, Holster’s parents and three sisters and Ransom’s parents, grandparents, and both of his sisters. Then there was the other seniors’ families who would be coming to the dinner the night before graduation. Bitty had made the first graduation dinner last year for Jack and Shitty and now it seemed that it was a tradition. They were setting up tables, chairs and a tent in the backyard of the Haus for all of the graduating seniors and families to eat together.

The seniors had all showed up last week with a rather large jug of cash which they gave to Bitty for the food and he had prepared a truly amazing menu. For each senior, Bitty had made something special for them; either a home recipe or something inspired by them like Lardo’s pie.

Bitty smiled at the reaction he would get if the boys knew that a good amount of his prepared items were currently in the LAX house across the street along with even more food spread around at several other houses on the row. Bitty had “rented” space in each place with a basket of baked goods that had generated quite a few reactions. He had gotten four offers of dates, two marriage proposals, and at least three invitations to be adopted. He was also offered membership in one fraternity and two sororities!

“Bits!” Bitty looked over at Chowder who walked in with several bags of groceries followed by Caitlin, Dex, and Nursey also loaded down. “We got everything on your list!” he said happily.

“Bitty do you seriously need this much food?” Nursey looks concerned and frowns when Dex snorts.

“Dude, you have never had a real family meal have you?” Dex asked.

Nursey frowned “I have had family events” he protests.

“Bro, until you have a family party with over 30 people, it doesn’t count” Dex laughs. “People graze at parties like this. You almost never have enough” he warns.

Bitty raises and eyebrow at the redhead. “I will have you know I do not run out of food for family William Poindexter!” he warns and smiles when Dex throws his hands up in surrender.

Nursey just shakes his head in disbelief. “How many people are coming so far?” he asks.

“47” Bitty says absently and laughs when he hears Nursey gulp in shock. He looks over at the boy’s shocked expression. “You should see a family or neighborhood event in Georgia. We can break 100 easily. Though to be fair, for those meals we usually have a good dozen people cooking” Bitty admits.

They talk about inconsequential things for a few minutes when the topic of conversation changes and Bitty starts to feel nervous. “So we are going to get to meet Jack’s significant other soon” Chowder says to the other two. “Who do you think it is?”

Dex just shrugs but Nursey looks thoughtful. “Well, last time I spoke with Ransom and Holster they were certain it was Camilla Collins, the former captain of the women’s tennis team.”

Caitlin snorted as she tried to contain her laughter.

“What?” Nursey asked with a bit of superior look. “It makes good sense, they dated off and on for several years according to the guys.”

Caitlin smiled. “I’m sure the fact that she’s dating Jack will come as a huge surprise to Lisa” she smirks.

“Who’s Lisa” Nursey asks confused.

“Her girlfriend” Caitlin answers.

“Oh…well” suddenly Nursey looks less sure and Dex laughs at him causing him to frown.

“What about Lardo and Shitty? What do they think?” Chowder asks the room.

“Lardo says she isn’t getting involved and Shitty apparently is trying to get clues from Jack but isn’t having any luck” Nursey says and then turns to Bitty. “Bits? You get any clue when you were talking to Jack?” Nursey had apologized again for the situation at the Kegster and everyone had heard that Bitty was also dating someone who was in the closet and that Jack knew about it. However everyone was warned to leave him alone about it by Ransom and Holster under threat of painful death. The serious look on the seniors’ faces pretty much assured everyone would obey.

Bitty smiled at them but didn’t say anything as he wrapped the pie up to put in the freezer.

“You know” Nursey said flatly causing the other three to suddenly look at Bitty in shock. "You know who Jack is dating!"

Bitty smiled again and wiggled his eyebrows.

“This is so unfair!” Nursey wailed. Everyone in the Haus and team were dying to know about Jack and somehow Bitty knew!

Dex chuckled. “Bro…chill” he said with a look of absolute joy on his face.

Nursey however looked fit to kill. He stared at the redhead who had the biggest smile on his face that Bitty had ever seen. Caitlin was giggling and Chowder was smiling when Nursey stood up and stomped out of the room.

“Oh god that felt so good. Two years of waiting but it was so worth it” Dex said happily as he leaned back in his chair. Suddenly his eyes widened. “Oh god he’s going to tell the guys!” he turned and looked at Bitty nervously.

“That’s okay Dex” Bitty assured him. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Dude, once Rans and Holster know you know, they will…” Dex’s voice trails off at the look of evil joy on Bitty’s face. He suddenly realizes that knowing Bitty knows will kill them. After the Tyler incident, those two were dancing around Bitty like they were skating on thin ice. Knowing he knows but unable to ask him about it will drive them crazy.

Chowder and Caitlin looked confused but Dex stared at Bitty with new respect. “Remind me to NEVER get on your bad side” Dex says acknowledging Bitty’s plan. Bitty smiles and starts on a batch of cookies.

* * *

 

To say that Dex was right was an understatement. Nursey’s revelation that Bitty knew about Jack’s significant other was killing Ransom and Holster. They had called Shitty who exploded with claims of ‘foul betrayal’ and ‘treachery’ from his best friend. When they tentatively suggested he call Bitty to get the deets, Shitty laughed. “After what he did to you two? I’m not that stupid” Shitty snorted.

That left the three of them to stew in the knowledge that they had to wait. Then Ransom and Holster decided to approach Lardo. They told her how Bitty knew and saw the smile on her face.

“Not a big surprise at that” she said with a smirk.

“What! Why?” Ransom complained.

“Well, if Bitty was talking to Jack about his secret boyfriend, makes sense that Jack might talk to Bitty about his own dating life you know. Since they are both in the same situation” she says with a nod.

Holster mentions her asking Bitty but she cuts him off faster than Shitty did and throws them out. Walking back to her bed she shakes her head. “Boys! They are so clueless” she snickers.

* * *

 

It’s finally here. The kitchen is packed with all of the food and dishes, including those stored along the row in various fridges, and the backyard is set up and looks amazing. The boys have set everything up and the Haus is even sparkling clean…except that damn couch Bitty grumbles. At least someone put something over it as a cover!

People started showing up about two hours ago though mostly they just stopped by before heading out again. Lots of campus tours with family members. Everyone who wasn’t graduating had been drafted by Bitty to help with the preparations. They weren’t skilled, but they did work hard. Shitty had arrived earlier and was out with Lardo and her family. They were doing a full tour of both the art studios as well as Faber and Bitty wondered if they hold told the family yet that she was in fact moving in with Shitty after graduation.

He was rotating dishes in the oven when he heard lots of yelling. “JACK!” he was sure that was Chowder Bitty laughed. Turning around he saw Jack walking in and being swallowed up by the team as they dragged him out back to see everyone. The sudden arrival of the new winner of the 2016 Calder and their former teammate whose team had only just been eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Though disappointed, Bitty knew that Jack was happy with how the team performed this year. 

The Falconers were actually ecstatic with the results and Georgia had made a point to tell Jack how stoked management was with his work on the ice. She had also quietly told him that management was informed and were totally supportive of him whenever he decided to come out. Jack had decided to tell Tater later, so his team was still in the dark, but Jack and Bitty were ready for this weekend.

Ransom and Holster came back in with their families and the noise was crazy as everyone was talking and laughing. He got to meet everyone who all told him that he was rather famous due to the boys’ stories. Mrs. Birkholtz, Mrs. Oluransi, and Justin’s grandmother all offered to help but Bitty just shooed them out with a smile and a then sent a tray of snacks out with Caitlin to keep them from starving. Ransom’s oldest sister Jeanine and Holster’s middle sister Tina both came in a few minutes later and begged Bittly to let them help so they can get away from their parents who were now telling baby stories. Bitty laughed and allowed them to help with some of the side dishes.

Ransom snuck back in the kitchen and Bitty heard him ask Nursey about Jack. “Well? Where are they?” Ransom whispered.

“He came alone. He said it’s not graduation yet and he didn’t want to distract from the senior dinner” Nursey said and Bitty laughed at Ransom’s groan.

They boys left and Bitty refocused on dinner.

* * *

 

There were contented moans coming from the couch as Bitty walked out of the kitchen. Dinner had gone over great. He had gotten lots of compliments from the families but the biggest sign of appreciation for Bitty was in how little food was actually left over. Bitty had been straightening up when he walked back to the living room where everyone had gathered. The families had all left to go back to their hotels and so had most of the rest of the team leaving behind the Haus residents, Jack, Shitty, Dex, and Nursey.

“Bits…that was just…so…” Shitty moaned happily. “Bro I have so missed you!” he finally said.

Bitty smiled as he sat down on the arm of the chair Jack was sitting in. Jack looked at him and smiled gently.

“But I was hoping we would get to meet someone special to our boy Jack tonight” Shitty said in a sing song voice while looking over at Jack.

Jack looked back at him with a slight smile but didn’t say anything.

“Yeah Jack, you could have brought your guest to the party, it wouldn’t have been a problem” Holster said towards the former captain.

“Well, I didn’t want my announcement to take away the spotlight from any of you” Jack said easily. Bitty felt Jack’s hand suddenly start rubbing the small of his back and smiled. “This is the time to celebrate all of you, not me.”

“I think the real reason was that Jack wanted to wait because with everything happening tomorrow, he thinks we will all be too distracted to pay any attention” Ransom teased his old captain.

“That is so not gonna happen” Shitty said with a determined look.

Jack sighed and looked at Bitty. They had figured that after the dinner when everyone else left would be the best time and it had finally come. He looked back at the room. “I told you that the reason I hadn’t said anything was because it was complicated” Jack started.

“Yeah…and?” Ransom suddenly leaned forward. Was Jack going to tell them the story? He grabbed onto Holster’s arm and squeezed.

“Well, with this being my first year playing professionally, I didn’t want the story to be about something other than my playing” Jack sighed. This year had been really hard and he was truly tired even if he only admitted it to himself. “And it’s not that I don’t trust all of you but…there was just too much at stake” he added slowly.

“I don’t get it. Why would dating someone be a problem?” Chowder asked confused. A look he shared with several others around the room. “I mean most of the guys are dating or married.”

Nursey and Dex both nodded with similar looks of confusion. Jack looked at Lardo who was smirking at him and then she winked conspiratorially at him and he had to try not to laugh. “It’s not that I was dating so much as who” Jack explained.

“Oh my god” Ransom gasp/yelled. “You are dating a super model or someone famous aren’t you? Some actress your mom knows!” Suddenly everyone was talking excitedly. Jack leaned back in the chair and looked at Bitty who was giggling. Lardo rolled her eyes in exasperation at the guys.

They finally calmed down and looked back at Jack who was just watching them and waiting. “Jack?” Holster prompted.

“No. I am not dating a model or actress. Though I think they could be a model personally” he teases.

“Oh lord” Bitty groans looking at him.

“Not famous?” Ransom asks sadly.

“Well, kinda famous, in some ways” he chirped.

Bitty snorted and Lardo laughed.

“I was sure it was a model” Ransom sounded a little disappointed.

Shitty had been staring at Jack while he talked and he had noticed the shift in demeanor in his friend. How Jack’s face and body had shifted from his typical guarded self to one that was relaxed and at ease. Shitty had seen this Jack a few times but it was always when it was just the two of them. Jack relaxed around the team, but never this much before. And after being around the whole team and all the families for dinner, it had seemed that he still had his defenses up until Bitty sat down. Looking at the blue-eyed hockey player he looked at how he was sitting and suddenly Shitty thought, where was his hand? 

Shitty shifted his view to look at Bitty and then he saw it. For the first time since his own Graduation, he realized what had changed. Bitty was completely and totally at ease sitting next to Jack. No nerves. No twitching. No awkwardness. Totally comfortable and…how did he miss this? He looked at the room and suddenly burst out laughing. He fell off the couch he was laughing so hard. 

“Shits?” Nursey looked at the laughing man on the floor. 

Shitty finally sat up and wiped his eyes. “Jack Zimmermann you glorious fucker! You are so going to pay for this” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. He turned to Lardo and fretted. “How did I miss this?” he asked her.

“Really don’t know how you could have. I pretty much figured it out at the Providence game” she said with a smirk. 

Jack looked confused but she just smiled at him. 

“I am so confused” Chowder muttered.

Jack looked at the goalie and smiled. Reaching out he wrapped his arm behind Bitty and along his waist and then grasping his hip, he gently pulled and Bitty landed on Jack’s lap. Bitty slid over easily and smiled at Jack, love clear on both of their faces as they looked at each other.

There was a sudden silence. “I still don’t get it” Chowder said looking at Ransom and Holster who looked like they both had just been checked hard into the boards. Lardo and Shitty were still laughing. Dex also looked confused and Nursey looked freaked out.

Jack laughed and turned to Bitty who gently put his hand on Jack’s cheek, leaned in, and they gently kissed. 

Chowder and Dex both gasped in surprise and there was about two seconds of silence before the screaming started. 

“OH MY GOD!” Ransom screamed in a squeaky voice.

“JACK! BITTY! AWEWRWH” Holster sounded like he couldn’t remember how to talk.

Chowder flushed red and turned to see Dex who was actually redder than he was. Nursey had fallen over with his hands over his eyes while he chanted “Chill” to himself over and over.

Lardo rolled her eyes and moved away from the group to avoid what was about to happen. She managed to get away right before Shitty launched himself. “MY BEAUTIFUL BABIES!” Shitty yelled as he threw himself at Bitty and Jack. 

Jack and Bitty suddenly found themselves wrapped up in a bear hug by Shitty who was crying and cheering. They had about five seconds before Ransom and Holster slammed into the pile knocking over the chair and spilling all five of them to the floor. Bitty screeched in surprise and Jack just laughed. Suddenly the other three joined in reminiscent of the scene when Shitty got into Harvard. It took nearly five minutes for the hugging to stop enough for Bitty to escape the dog pile where Lardo was waiting with a more reserved hug and a simple “bro” for him. Everyone finally pulled apart when the guys all started demanding the story.

Jack and Bitty switched talking as they told everyone about the kiss after Jack’s graduation and how they began dating that night during their first Skype call. Bitty talked about Jack’s visit and his coming early to stay in Providence at the beginning of the year. 

“Wait a second…Labor Day!” Ransom yelled interrupting them. 

Everyone looked at him confused.

“After the pool fight, Shitty was outside the room when you sent that text threatening to cut off all baking unless we got rid of Shitty!” Ransom said looking at the two of them with an evil smirk. “What exactly were you two doing in your room that you couldn’t open the door?” he teased.

Bitty and Jack both blushed which caused everyone to scream and start chirping them while Shitty protested that he would never have stood in the way of true love if had known.

“Oh god!” Holster suddenly pointed at Bitty and screamed. Bitty looked scared. “At Halloween. You said your boyfriend was a hockey player!” Holster slaps himself while Bitty giggled.

Lardo suddenly busted out laughing. “Bits! You devil!” she squeals.

Bitty blushes as everyone looks confused.

“You were Jack’s puckbunny!” she chirps which set everyone else off laughing as they all yell and Bitty buries his face in Jack’s chest. Jack blushes pretty hard too especially as he remembers that costume.

They spent quite some time making bunny jokes before Dex suddenly looked at Bitty. “Bitty” he said slowly “remember when we went up to see Jack’s game?” he asked and they all looked at him curiously. Bitty nodded slowly. “When you ran out to get a soda after you said you didn’t want anything on the way in” he looked suspicious “what did you do?”

Everyone looked at Bitty who groaned and buried his head in Jack again causing them all to yell. That led to the story about the pre-game kiss which had Jack blushing.

Shitty suddenly glared. “Jack, and when exactly did you give Bitty the key to your apartment?” he asked and Ransom and Holster started hooting and hollering. 

Jack sighed and knew this was gonna get him riled up. “August” he admitted and Shitty blew up screaming ‘how could he’ and that Jack loved Bitty more than him since he didn’t have a key yet. 

“Well duh!” Lardo snorted causing Shitty to dramatically act out being stabbed in the heart.

They laughed a bit more and then Lardo starting laughing hysterically again. Everyone looked at her again and waited till she could speak. “Spring C” she gasped. “Shits” she gasped still laughing.

Ransom’s eyes widened as he looked at Shitty and then at Jack. “You thought you were cuddling Bitty!” he yells happily and Shitty wails as everyone laughs. “That’s why you kissed Shits!” he screams and Jack and Bitty look pained.

“Oh, god” Holster gasps happily. “I haven’t laughed this hard in so long!”

Bitty groans and Jack squeezes him a bit harder.

“Uh bits?” Nursey says sounding a bit serious.

“Yes?” Bitty looks over at him questioningly.

“At Spring C we heard that Jack was pretty much in love” Nursey smirks but doesn’t say anything else as Bitty turns red again and looks down at Jack who is smiling up at him happily.

Bitty sighs and smiles. “yes” he says happily.

“BEST MAN! I CALL IT!” Shitty yells.

Which, of course, sets off one of the most heated arguments in Haus history. It included lots more blushing, some Olympic level chirping, and a final decision to devise an ultimate contest to fight it out among the guys. Bitty just shakes his head and leans down and smiles as Jack tightens his embrace. Only one more year to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Okay, now we are done! I hope this lived up to everyone's expectations. This was my first true Check Please fic, my other was a collaboration and cross over, but is true Zimbits fluff so I hope people like it. As to how they did the reveal, the more I thought about it, the more casual I thought it should be versus having the gang 'catch' them doing something. Not to say I don't love reading those fics cause I do! But this story, like so many of my other ones, seemed to have a mind of its own so here we are 27,000+ words later when I thought it would be a quick story. Ah well!_
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> _Thank you for all the comments, kudos, and love! - G_


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